You are listening to Herzenssache, project whispers with Madamfo Ghana, the podcast that takes you to Ghana.
Christine and Bettina tell moving stories, chat about their personal experiences and share them.
Come with us on this special journey. Let's go!
Hello everyone! Great to have you back for episode 3 of our podcast.
My name is Christine.
I'm Bettina and today we're talking about how the money gets into the project.
Yes Bettina, maybe you can just tell me, are you going now
thereby the country and simply looking for someone who needs something?
Or does someone come to you and say, hello, help, we need it, we would like something.
And.
Maybe you would like to tell us a little bit about it?
Yes, I'd be happy to do that. Today we're here together in Munich.
That's how it turned out.
We are very happy to be watching you together from one screen.
And the question is, is Christine right?
I think it is interesting to know if you as a donor
have chosen a specific project , how do we even get to it?
To do this, you may have to go back a bit, because of course there are now
Madamfo Ghana for over 20 years and how it was in the beginning and how it is now.
Of course, things have changed a bit.
And.
So when we were at the very beginning, or I was at the very beginning in the village of APU, what we told you in
Episode 1 told a little bit about when I worked there and helped,
that was simply the environment.
So the villages next door knew that we were now drilling a well and building a toilet facility in APU.
Then the neighboring villages came over and said, man, that's great.
Could you perhaps build a toilet facility or a well for us?
And then we went and looked at the situation and Victor
and at that time Emmanuel, they simply talked to the villagers and the chief,
So we evaluated the whole thing with the village chief, really looked at where it should go, why it should go there, what are the advantages
and what are the disadvantages and then we went and looked,
who from the government, that sounds like a big government, but who
of the local representatives is responsible for this village and what plans they have.
Because at the end of the day, we are doing things that the government should be doing.
So all the projects we should do, hospital, school,
Kindergarten, we know that, so that 's actually what the state should do.
It's not working now for various reasons , so we might as well do an episode about it.
Exactly, but they are still responsible and you can’t just go there in Germany and
say, okay, we're going to build a school here because we think it's a good idea.
So one thing is the need that the residents simply
communicate and the other is , what does the government have planned?
In this case it is the Assembly, so I think you could translate it as local council.
Then my people went with me and of course I did too and asked if the village of Bahnsoh could be
Example, they would also like to have a ground and a toilet facility, have
Have you planned anything in your development for the next few years?
If so, you can compare it and say when do you want to do something, where does the money come from the state and how
Can we help as a non-governmental organization?
And so you can simply create synergies so that you don’t waste money,
maybe for something that the state has already planned for two or three years.
So that was, how would you say, word of mouth.
So from one village to another, the neighbors simply have
said, man, they have a floor, we urgently need one too.
Can you do that?
Today it is a bit more formal, not much, but a bit because we
work all over the country in Ghana and I think we mentioned it before.
Ghana is about the size of Germany.
The comparison is a bit lame, but just to give you an idea.
We already have official documents that must be filled out.
That is a Neat Assessment.
Also Neat Assessment.
Needs analysis or needs indication perhaps?
Hello, I need.
Exactly, of course you can get that today via telephone, via the Internet, via WhatsApp, via email.
That the people then sent.
So there is now, for example, a village that has
or a small town and they need a kindergarten.
And they call, well mostly it's over the phone now.
They call us in the office or write a WhatsApp and say, we are here and there.
There are so many of us and we urgently need a kindergarten.
And then we'll just try to find out more over the phone, without anyone having to go there.
Just because a village might want it now doesn't mean that it is necessarily needed.
In the sense of maybe there is a school in a neighboring village, maybe we can join forces.
Maybe you can renovate something where you say, okay, the state has already built something there.
That's almost falling apart now.
Maybe I can build it up or something.
Yes, exactly.
And then we have these forms, which are then filled out,
because we simply have better documentation over the years .
In the past, of course, it was word of mouth, so to speak.
And now, of course, we have put the whole thing on a more professional footing, simply because of the volume.
You have to do proper documentation.
So, but let me say, a village X comes along and wants a well or a
School or a small clinic, they call us and then they fill it out.
And if we then, well in principle it will run on two tracks, of course
You can find out a lot over the phone and say, where are you?
How? And we know our way around and the area now.
And how many people live there?
And so, our employees have a wealth of experience or we
We know someone who lives in the area, we'll call them, can you come over?
Simply so that you don't always have to send the whole team of employees there straight away .
It all costs money; developing a project like this also costs money.
But let's assume that, let's say, that sounds sensible to us.
So for Victor, Sande, the team in the office in Kumasi, then we will send someone there.
So usually one of our foremen, forms.
Yes, I think foreman is the right word.
He then goes and really does a needs analysis, on the one hand with the village, with the villagers.
So maybe we will stay with a school or kindergarten, i.e. the
with the local teachers, with the teachers in the neighboring villages and then goes to the
Municipal council and there is for each district, so I call it
now administrative district, there is a District Chief Executive,
that is the highest government representative.
Maybe I'll call it something like that in the district council.
Exactly, the next floor.
Exactly, and it has its various directors, one for health, one for education.
And that is why we are asking, because the Garna state is already
has a plan, a development plan, a development plan.
Of course, time has moved on in the last 20 years and we are now making a comparison.
Just to see, man, a school is actually planned for village X in five years, but not yet.
And then we look at where there is overlap and where, for example, we can create these synergies.
Is there then the possibility that one might say, yes, well, you have
the five years of school, but they actually need them now.
Is there any way we can make sure that you prefer this and that we support it?
Or is it just a case of either you build it, we build it with a lamp, or the state builds it?
In principle, there are all facets, I would say all cooperation.
What is important is that the state knows, that is, the state listens
always seem so big now, but the government knows
We are there, that is the plan, that is the request from the village.
Then we first compare the needs. Now we assume, of course, that they also say,
yes man, that would be so great if this village finally
would get a school, then they would definitely provide the land.
So we don't have to buy the land on which it will be built, because that is, I would say, a basic requirement.
But then of course it also depends on whether the demand is secured, i.e. something has to be built.
We have the land and we have your donations. The question is, who will run the school?
And that is one thing why it is so important from the beginning
to this District Assembly, I will now call it the Municipal Council,
maybe we should stick with the word “include”, because
Afterwards, teachers have to be sent to the school to teach there.
Because that's nice, they then also have to be paid for.
And what should not come from donations, because that would be a continuous expenditure, but from the state.
Exactly. And if we include them directly in the complete planning,
we can immediately say a needs analysis , okay, for example a complete primary school,
six classrooms, an office, a computer room, a library, you can decide on all of that.
And then, based on the specifications, I mean, the
Garnasche State has an education plan and this provides official information.
A primary school doesn't need any knowledge, let's say ten teachers, a principal, five kindergarten teachers or something like that.
There are standard procedures for this. And they know from the local council
then straight away, okay, the school is being built and it will start in January.
It will be finished in July. So for the next school year in September we need ten teachers, ten kindergarten teachers,
a headmaster, a caretaker. And all of this is provided by the state.
And that is why, just as you said, we are realizing the project with the donations, i.e. the school as a building with
Equipment, with content so to speak, with tables and chairs, benches and everything.
Exactly, we will provide that. But the state will then take over, on the one hand to cover the running costs
and secondly, of course, because a sensible curriculum needs to be implemented there.
You can’t just say, okay, now we’re going to teach something here, but it has to make sense
so that the children can also achieve the qualification they
then do it there at school , can use it in their country.
Yes, just like with us, there is state recognition, as I would call it.
And then you have to make sure that it makes sense and that nothing is built and nothing is taught
and then I say, the child graduates after the fifth or sixth grade and can't
cannot be used to go to a secondary school because it is not recognized.
Yes, it does.
Exactly, it is very important that everything is taken into account.
And when the school is built, i.e. the donations are finished
Germany, then we have to go back a bit.
So the need is there, the village needs the school, the state, the local council says, great, let’s do it, the
You get teachers, it's all laid out in writing and so on.
And then, when I give lectures, I am hopefully asked, often, does it work?
Because of course it all sounds so great and everything is running smoothly and everything is beautiful.
Exactly, but yes, it works.
And, see episode two, because we are officially registered in Ghana, we can use such resources,
I call them like teacher in this case, like kindergarten teacher in this
case, like a principal, a school head in this case we can apply.
And the school will then be handed over to the state.
And then it's basically a state-run, reputable school and they take care of it and yes, it works.
But what is the willingness actually like?
So then the state says, hey great, now comes Madamfo, they are taking another school away from us, that’s
Great, then we don't have to do anything ourselves, they can do it.
Or is it already the case that I say, yes, we actually already have a
Plan, but we don't have any money right now and maybe you can help us.
So what is it like there?
Yes, I would say the same, it's 50, 50.
Sometimes it happens that you really do run into open doors.
This is the case with us and everywhere else in the world.
You always have people who are totally committed and then you always have people who are not committed.
So that's probably what people are like.
Exactly, or I'll call them the officials.
And in Ghana it is just like that, you have at this district level, so
where the directors appointed by the municipal council or the municipal council staff,
These are all people who come from the area, who grew up there with the, so mostly they grew up there and the
themselves went to a school there and they are looking forward to it,
if something is built in your district.
So the need is huge, especially , I would say, schools, hospitals,
Kindergartens are something where we cannot escape the requests.
And because it all goes hand in hand, I mean, everyone plays their role.
Of course, school is an expense, of course, depending on how big, how
many classrooms, but to cover the running costs over decades,
This is of course also an expense that is not small, I would say.
From Portugasse, that's what I say.
Exactly, from Portugasse.
And if there is a partnership, then I think that's a good thing.
No, gut.
So that's all well and good for now.
And then I found it impressive.
So when we said we would like to go to school
build, it was then in three months, the school was there.
Yes, that really blew us away , considering the construction times we had.
Yes, okay, good.
In our case, it is in the basement and with Shishii and Shushu, that is of course a completely different level.
But I still thought it went very quickly.
The people in the villages are very motivated and are actively helping.
Maybe you would like to tell us, Bettina, how it is on site
exactly what happens next, because the village basically has to build the school itself, right?
Yes, there are basically two, I would say two different construction teams.
One is the so-called municipal laboratory.
So the village helps.
Municipal, so the community helps with all the auxiliary work bags.
Maybe I'll jump back again for a minute.
So money was donated in Germany.
Is on the donation account in Germany.
Will then be officially transferred to the donation account in Ghana.
Keyword, we have two officially registered organizations.
Because nowadays you can also for various reasons, such as terrorism, financing, drugs and so on,
You can't just send large sums of money to a third country.
Exactly, so we are completely registered and everything.
This will then also be checked by the Bundesbank.
Where does the money go?
In Ghana, checks are being carried out: what is being done with the money?
So there are control bodies.
Then the money will be transferred to our donations account in Ghana.
Exactly, and Victor, as our Country Director and head of Madamfo Ghana, then appoints a construction team.
Because of course you need help.
I'll tell you a little more about it in a moment, perhaps in more detail.
But of course you also need the so-called skiltworkers, i.e. the skilled workers.
The right bricklayer, the right carpenter.
So a painter, a roofer.
You need workers who can really build a building professionally.
We don't want to drag some rickety hut over there.
Because then it will collapse again straight away.
Exactly, then part of the money is withdrawn and exchanged from euros into CDs.
Exactly, and then the specific materials are purchased for the different construction phases.
The village, for example , can help when water is needed.
Often we make the stones, i.e. the blocks, ourselves.
Then we mix sand, cement and stones in a certain ratio.
The ratio depends on which region in Ghana you are building in.
So sometimes there is more sand, sometimes more cement.
Victor could explain this better now, but we do it manually, so to speak.
And if, for example, there is no well in the village,
we have to get the water from a small river stream or lake.
The villagers then help with buckets.
Large barrels are set up and they are then filled once per bucket.
The sand has to come from somewhere, then it might be unloaded by a large truck.
But then it has to be transported to the construction site.
So be shoveled.
It probably won't be in buckets or some kind of shop crane , but something like that.
That's just getting from A to B, because there's nothing else.
Exactly. So I'll name all these preparations.
Carrying things from A to B, helping out, making donations.
Exactly, the village makes all these things.
And of course the trained bricklayer, who ensures
that the stones are manufactured in the correct proportions.
And the same thing is done by the carpenter and the guy who makes the nails and so on.
But ultimately the village helps,
that your project, even your school, your kindergarten or whatever,
to build it yourself.
And if you imagine this whole process,
they are involved from the beginning.
They have thought about what they want.
You took the initiative and, for example, filled out the forms.
Then there are also questions that they may not be able to answer at all.
Then they gathered the information.
So they are involved.
It's not like someone from outside comes along and says , you need a school, sit down.
We are now building everything nicely for you, but you are involved in the entire project.
This creates a completely different level of responsibility for the project.
That you say, yes, I want that and I'll help with that.
And then I also want it to work, to look good, to be looked after,
that the maintenance also works.
This is, of course, also a very important inspection.
Yes, you said it exactly like that , better than I could have said it.
And that's how this project is realized, bit by bit.
So the different construction phases from the foundation to the level for the window and so on and so forth.
You can take a look at this on our website.
We also have films and so on.
That is what will then be carried out.
And the individual phases are always coordinated with the government,
so that they know that you still need, let’s say, six weeks,
then we need the first, I want sick, because that's where teachers say.
So the first teachers or kindergartens and so on, they will then be equipped with the
So they come and help with the classrooms.
I want the school desks here , I need so many school desks.
The board should be on the wall in the case and not on the wall because of the sun.
And you know things like that, they just get involved.
And ultimately, if you, as you just said,
if you are involved and involved from the beginning,
This is a completely different responsibility, a completely different feeling for,
for whatever is being realized there, rather than just putting something somewhere
and you as a customer use it, so to speak.
Exactly.
It becomes something of its own and that is why there is a much better culture of discipline,
so to keep things in order.
And I found it quite interesting because I also heard
When I spoke to Victor, I said that at these first meetings
the whole village can participate.
So it won’t just be a committee that decides
where will the school or the kindergarten go , but everyone can simply say,
yes, I have an idea and I have an idea.
And that is what the spoken word means.
And then a consensus is found.
Well, I think that this is actually a very grassroots democratic process.
Yes, that's right.
Well, I found that quite impressive.
Exactly, so these village meetings are taking place.
I think it's great that you mentioned that.
We haven't said that yet.
So after the application has been executed,
told you that our foreman goes there and does such an analysis
on site and that is exactly what we can perhaps tell again.
Then all the villagers, all the city dwellers, everyone who takes part,
invited or They invited us.
And then a really big gathering takes place, or several.
And then the whole thing is simply, as I say, discussed and picked apart.
Exactly.
Everything, everyone can say their opinion, I would like it to be here and there and how many rooms and so on.
Exactly.
And then we built it and then it is beautiful.
And then I have to say, we were invited to the opening.
And that was totally impressive.
So, there were so many people there and it was a huge event.
And with poems and speeches from the person we commission, who is responsible for the school
and from the director and Madamfo and everyone.
So, it was really sensational.
And we were really impressed by how well it works.
And I have to say, we were there again three years later.
Or have you looked there again, yes.
So how is it now and is it almost falling apart or something?
And no, no.
So, everything is well looked after and they are quite happy to have it.
And of course they also say, yes, and we would like a few computers
or we would like this.
That is quite clear.
But it is true that they take great care of their upkeep.
Well, I think that’s really important.
And not, as is often done , that someone simply comes from abroad,
doesn't know anyone, no area, nothing at all.
And then say you need a toilet facility now.
But the village says, no, we actually want a school.
Because we think that's much better.
And that, Madamfo, is what the village wants.
And not just anything, you don't actually force anything on them.
I also think that is very, very, very important.
And.
In the end, it is like everything else.
So, if you want to achieve things, no matter if it is something small, together as friends
or you want to build an entire school or hospital.
If you want to know everyone who either lives there or is supposed to benefit from it or
later simply because you are a patient or a student and all the opinions are taken into account,
then you can eliminate many mistakes that you could easily make.
So also ask the children, how, what, how do you imagine it?
And that's what participation is like , the keyword is democracy.
So, if I am never asked and am always just told what I have to do,
I grow up completely differently than if I can just join in and apart from building a school
We also have a project where we plant trees at schools.
Where the children then take care of their own trees, so that later they will understand that this takes
of course a few years, but we have trees that also grow quickly, then under
where trees can play and have shade and take care of things themselves.
I think that's what it's about.
That is what we always teach our children and you have to be responsible
and make sure that you join in and become independent and so on.
And that's what it's all about.
Exactly, that you also represent your opinion in the face of opposition, I would say, and that you also
willing to compromise then is to say, yes, maybe that could work.
So these are also a few side effects that are also very important and that simply
can also be taken into account.
Yes, I would definitely like to invite you.
That was quite a lot of information, whether it was understandable how we told it,
Just like a project, let's say, from the donation until it is roughly realized.
Feel free to write to us: podcast@madamfo-ghana.de, it is also in the show notes below.
Feel free to send us an email.
We look forward to feedback, criticism and topic requests.
Check out our website to see what we’re telling you now.
Maybe you'll watch the videocast, sure, then you'll see us both or you'll hear us
as a podcast.
Not that you despite, check out the website, www.madamfo-ghana.de.
There you can also take a look at photos and videos, especially videos,
I think it would be very interesting to see what a project looks like.
Construction phases are also shown there , also on Instagram and Facebook.
Madam Ghana.
Otherwise, we’ll just be happy if you tune in again next time.
So best wishes, see you soon.
See you soon, bye.