In 1967, Adrian, one of the trustees of Community Action Ghana, headed to Lolobi as a VSO volunteer. He was assigned to teach at St. Mary’s Junior Seminary. So, you can imagine our excitement when the Lolobi community asked for our help to renovate an old building. Their plan was to turn it into a Community hub, starting with a library and a computer suite. In June, Adrian, his daughter Alyrene (also a trustee of the charity), and his granddaughter Maya went to Lolobi to assist with the project.

The community has done an incredible job and made impressive progress on the project. This place will soon hold more than 4,000 books donated by Book Aid International and six laptops donated from Christian Aid.

While some high school graduates were busy organizing the books, they had a great idea. They asked if they could start a reading club for the young people in the community. We were thrilled by their initiative. Below is their letter to the village elders, formally requesting permission to do this. This experience will be a valuable addition to their resumes, especially since job opportunities for high school graduates, in Ghana are limited. It’s heart-warming to see people of all ages and skills getting involved in the community project.

Please take a look at their proposal below. But before you do, remember that we need your help to continue providing facilities like this library. Click the donate button before you leave the site to support our cause.

The carpenters built shelves, put up ceilings, and made tables. They painted the walls and shelves. The electricians installed lights and fans. The community organized the books given by Book Aid International, got some chairs, and prepared the old rooms for the first readers.

We want to thank everyone who helped make this project happen. Special thanks go to Clemence Kitsi and Kenneth Norviewu for their hard work in getting the community involved. We also want to thank Augustine Quarshie, our wonderful host, for his hospitality. The community members gave their time to work as laborers, carpenters, electricians, masons, painters, and cleaners.

Two of the most memorable quotes from people helping were:-

A carpenter recently retired from Accra. “I am so glad to help as I thought when I returned to my village I would not be able to access books. I can now. Thank you.”

A disabled member of the community on being found tasks the was able to do said “Disability is not inability.” A quote we shall treasure and remember.

A very brief analysis of the needs assessments completed by a sample of the Lolobi Ashambi and Lolobi Kumasi communities.

This is the brief Analysis

From an evaluation of a sample of needs assessment forms all households are strongly in favour of a community library and learning hub in Lolobi.
From the analysis it will be used by all age groups from learners to professionals, upskilling and rewarding for leisure and for the elderly.
Parents are particularly looking forward to it being somewhere where the young will gather rather than “loitering around and involving themselves in unhealthy activities”
Comments were made about the fact it will be a place where children and young adults can work and study in a quiet place.
All respondents were willing to volunteer their time and skills from labouring, carpentry, electrical work to helping run the library and a number expressed the desire that it should be completed as soon as possible.
Most of the written comments were about how the community library would help the children progress their education and one comment expressed the need for books for the elderly who were educated, and in need of the stimulation that books can bring.

Here are a couple of copies of the forms and their authors

And you knew there was going to be a but.
We need your donations to help make this a reality. Book Aid International has agreed to stock the library and another development charity has donated six fully refurbished laptops for the computer hub . Please dig deep so we can rebuild the walls, plumb in the toilets and get the books on the shelves and chairs and tables ready for everyone to appreciate all the facilities.

It was great to meet the team leading the refurbishment of the community hub in Lolobi. We are working together to turn this old, dilapidated building into a library, computer lab, children’s play area and community space for all to learn in and enjoy.

The building is situated so it can easily be accessed by two communities; Lolobi Ashambi and Lolobi Kumasi. Most people living here are farmers and struggling with the cost of living crisis . The hub we are building will provide a space for the communities to meet, enhance their learning and to play.

There are 4,420 students from kindergarten to secondary school ages in the area and they will all have access to the space. There are IT classes in the schools but most don’t have computers so the hub will bring these lessons to life. Teachers have already volunteered to run extra workshops here. We are very grateful for the donation of six fully refurbished laptops to assist in the teaching. We have also been asked for a projector which we will attempt to find for free. (Any suggestions please let us know!)

The library, will be open from 7am to 9pm Monday to Saturday. This means everyone can benefit around farming, work, school and other commitments. Some of the retired teachers in the village have offered to run the library and they will be supported by Kenneth Norviewu, the Assembly Member for Lolobi and Prefects from the schools.

Elders, Athemasius Kwaku and Michael Marcelinusoyeh are especially looking forward to creating a space where the adult population can enjoy reading for pleasure. They are well educated and want to read, but currently don’t have books available to them. We have applied to Book Aid International to supply the books as they have been so supportive of the other libraries we work with.

There are four cubicles for toilets and washrooms which we will also refurbish so that everyone using the hub can wash and use the bathroom. This continues our mission to improve health as well as supporting education and well being.

The building has been donated by a member of the community, however it needs a lot of work! Thanks to some kind supporters we have fixed the roof to ensure no more damage is done. We are currently fundraising for the rest of the costs. We hope we can raise the funds soon to turn this into a wonderful space for all to enjoy.

Four volunteer carpenters from the village of Lolobi Ashiambi in the Volta region of Ghana are busy repairing the roof. They are being helped by a number of labourers. All of them are giving up their time repairing this building for use by the village.

Community Action Ghana has provided the new roofing sheets and timbers. These are necessary for a new roof that will last at least thirty years. This work has made the building weatherproof and ready for the next stage of renovation.

In less than a week the carpenters have fully replaced the roof so now it is totally waterproof. It looks amazing.

Just look at the difference a week makes.

We need to finish the renovation but to do so we need your help with fundraising.

Before

After

The next stage will be to remove some internal walls and to glaze the windows. When it is finished it will host a library, a computer room, a sewing workshop and other rooms for use by the community.

The proposed floor plan encompasses all of the requests from the Village Development Committee who have asked Community Action Ghana to work with them to create this hub for use by both of the Lolobi communities

Help us turn this into a fully functioning library with the community of Lolobi Ashambi.

Deer Park School Cirencester England has donated £234.50 and the Leos of Cambridge High School New Zealand have raised and pledged $500 for this project. Once renovated this building will become the thriving hub of the village of Lolobi Ashambi.
But we are a long way from being able to turn this building into a library.
Will you join in and make it a reality?

Our project manager in the Volta region of Ghana is assessing the building and working out how much it will cost to rescue it and turn part of it into a library. The village development committee is assessing how else it will be used. Possibly a digital hub and sewing workshop to train seamstresses and tailors. To make this a reality we need your donations and when the time comes help stock it with good quality relevant materials and equipment.

We have successfully renovated other libraries such as the one used by students at Gbi-Wedbe Basic A School and Alavanyo Senior High Technical School where Pearl is the Library Prefect and keeps good care of the books and the community who read them.