Adidome - Project Day

On Saturday, November 6, 2010 we travelled to Adidome, Ghana a village located near the border of Togo. We visited the International Needs Vocational Training Centre (INVTC) while in Adidome.

This facility was established in 1990 to provide liberated Trokosis (defined later) and other vulnerable women with skills training in Dressmaking, Hair-dressing, Baking, Textiles, Soap/Powder/Pomade, Beads production, Kente/Mat-weaving etc.



 Currently 150 women and children are living at the Centre. Often women come to the center pregnant or already have had a child as a result of being enslaved... The following picture illustrate some of the training classes. In this photo the girls are making hair extension and wigs.

 A sewing class. The girls make all of their own clothes at the center.

 Beads are being rolled in this photo. The girls make these beads and then make jewelry and sell the products in their own businesses. The school also teaches basic bookkeeping and accounting skills.

 These bead are made of clay. They are all hand made from the clay and rolled into these forms.

 The housing quarters accommodate 150 women and children. During the rainy season these areas become very unpleasant and difficult to navigate I am sure. I did not see an adequate rain water removal system, and the centre is located very close to a body of water.

 This is the cafeteria. It appeared to be open air, so in the case of rain, it could be very uncomfortable for the girls, yet safe.

 In the background you can see the ovens used for baking bread and for smoking meats.

 The girls are making a traditional bread batter in these photos.

 I cannot remember what this is called - if anyone remembers, please post.

 This is the traditional cloth material used throughout Ghana for making dresses and shirts. The process is very extensive as all of the design work and construction is done by hand.

 After our tour our group was entertained with some traditional African tribal dance. The school was celebrating the installation of their brand new power generator. This project was funded by USAID, and Rotary International. The local club involved was Accra South. What an exciting day for the school!

 The International Partners (That would be the group I was with including myself), presented the school with School supplies.

 The picture doesn't do it justice, but the school was very appreciative. Thank you Rotary Club of Fort Wayne for your kind donation of schools supplies to this school.

 The dedication ceremony. You can see the generator in the background. Representatives from Rotary International and USAID were present.

 This is one of the young girls who was brought into the school after her enslavement, and her child. She is beautiful.

Trokosi is the enslavement of scores of girls and young women in the Volta region of Ghana and other nations of West Africa, to a life of virtual slavery and prostitution. Traditional religious shrines take young girls, as young as 4, in “payment for services,” or “religious atonement” for alleged misdeeds of a family member. The girls are denied education and human affection, they are sexually abused, and forced to serve in hard labor. They receive no compensation and frequent harsh punishment. If a child dies or manages to escape, the family may be penalized and forced to replace another child. Though the practice has been outlawed, it is still practiced.

The purpose of INVTC is to empower these young women with life skills in order to allow them the ability to re-enter society successfully.

What a day, what an amazing school. This is a prime example of the good work Rotary is doing throughout the world. This is an ongoing project, and the schools still has many needs that need to be fulfilled - as illustrated in some of these photos.

This playground equipment is in need of repair or replacement..

 Yet the children are happily using it.........