AEFASC REHABILITATES WINNEBA SCHOOL BUILDINGS

During 2022 AEFASC helped renovate some of the buildings housing the Methodist Primary A & B, Anglican, and Presbyterian schools in Winneba. We provided the materials needed for the improvements. This followed our new policy to provide just the materials needed for the improvements while encouraging the churches whose names the schools still carry and the school authorities to provide the labor needed to carry out the improvements. It worked well since the work was done satisfactorily in all the schools. Following are pictures of the school buildings before and after. Special mention and many thanks to three of our members who went beyond the call of duty to help do the improvements: Samuel Ghartey for donating money for the Anglican School painting, and Joe and Margaret Forson for donating money for the concrete slab work at Zion School.

boxes of books donated

Boxes of books to school and church & library

In addition to the rehabilitation work done at the schools, several books were donated to Winneba Secondary School and to the Anglican Church. Below are letters of appreciation from the recipients:

From Mrs. Oti-Akenten, Headmistress of Winneba Secondary School to the President:

Dr. Blankson

Good evening Dr. C.C. Blankson. This is Mrs. Oti-Akenteng the Headmistress of Winneba Secondary School. The School is so grateful to receive three(3) boxes of library books for our students’ use. We appreciate your donation so much because it has come at a good time to support the increased number of students now in the school. Currently, we have a population of over two thousand five hundred (2,500) students awaiting the new first years of about 900 students this February. On behalf of the Board of Governors, Management Staff, and Students, we say a very Big Thank You. May GOD replenish you many folds.

From Rev. Father Aaron Moses Eduah, Priest/Archdeacon of St. John the Divine Anglican Church, Winneba

Hi. Dr. Charles Blankson: The Lord be with you. I wish to express my deepest gratitude to you and the Awutu-Effutu and Friends Association of Southern California for such a wonderful donation of books to me and the Winneba library through Madam Margaret Forson. In fact, I'm personally overwhelmed because the books came at the right time as we were preparing for CHURCH GROWTH CONFERENCE 2023 which will be held in the Central Region (Cape Coast and Winneba). A major theme of the conference is SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP AND THE HEALTHY CHURCH. It is my prayer that the Good Lord will bless you and the entire association with efficacious grace and illumination to do more.

Shalom

Ven Fr Aaron Moses Eduah

Parish Priest/ Archdeacon

St John The Divine Anglican Church, Winneba.

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP

On April 16, 2020, the AEFASC unanimously agreed to institute a lifetime membership as follows:

· A one-time payment of $1,000.00 entitles you to a lifetime membership.

· A lifetime member is exempted from annual membership dues, now $45.00; The Yearly Party Fee, now $20.00; and the $25.00 fee that members pay on the passing of the parent of a member

· Members can pledge to pay the lifetime membership within six months of the first deposit. Should a member default within the time period, any amounts paid will be applied to their annual payment dues.

Becoming a lifetime member is purely voluntary. Regular members would not lose any benefits with the introduction of this lifetime membership.

There are two main goals of this lifetime membership.

1. One is to free members who do not want to be bothered with the "nickeling and diming" of paying the small yearly dues and other obligations.

2. The other goal is to enable the association to accumulate funds to expand our capacity to respond to the urgent needs that the association may be presented with in the future. Those who wish to become lifetime members would be doing this not out of any obligation or for any personal financial benefit but solely out of the goodness of their hearts to help the association to achieve its goals more readily.

Congratulations to the members who have already paid!

=========================

TEN FULLY-PAID LIFETIME MEMBERS SIGN UP. Since the Association proposed the idea of lifetime membership, the number has grown from four to TEN. Congratulations to those members!

MANA CONGRESS POSTPONED

Because of the uncertainties and fears associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the

Congress, which was initially planned to take place in Connecticut in September 2020, has been postponed indefinitely. In its place, the Association has decided to conduct a series of virtual events: Two have been scheduled so far. The first is a panel discussion on Cyber Security that was held on June 26, 2021, at 2:00 pm, (PST). The second event will be a concert featuring top musicians during the Labor Day weekend in early September.

Charlottesville-Winneba Foundation

Charlottesville-Winneba Foundation and AEFASC

The Awutu-Effutu and Friends Association of Southern California (AEFASC) donated $2,000.00 to assist the Charlotteville-Winneba Foundation to ship medical supplies, fire and police equipment, children's school supplies etc. to Winneba. Association President Dr. Blankson thanked Mr. Dave Norris, President of the Foundation stating: “[we] are very proud of what your Foundation has been able to do to help improve living conditions in Winneba over the years and we are honored to part of this.”

On October 12, Dave Norris informed President Blankson that although shipment of the donations was delayed he was able to travel to Winneba to assist in the distribution of the items. Following is the extract from his communication with Dr. Blankson.

Good afternoon Dr. Blankson and AEFASC colleagues. In May, I wrote to you about the shipper arriving to take our donated medical, fire, police, and other equipment & supplies for transportation to Winneba. Unfortunately, the distribution of these items was delayed due to COVID. However, I'm pleased to report that the week before last, I was able to travel to Winneba and while there I assisted Nana Ghartey, President of the Charlottesville-Winneba Foundation, in distributing all of these donated items to some very grateful recipients. Attached are some photos from my visit, and here is a news article about some of the presentations we made: https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Charlottesville-Winneba-Foundation-donates-items-to-four-institutions-1079983. Again, none of this would have been possible without the very generous financial support provided by the Awutu-Effutu and Friends Association of Southern California, whom we were pleased to acknowledge in our presentations. We are most grateful for your sponsorship, and many people in Winneba are now benefiting directly from it. Thanks again and best wishes, Dave Norris.

====================

AEFASC is developing a long-term relationship with Charlotteville-Winneba Foundation. In April 2021, the Foundation, for the second time, requested financial assistance from our Association to ship lots of equipment including an electrocardiogram and a tonometer for the municipal hospital. These two pieces of equipment are very important because Effutu residents no longer have to travel to Accra or Cape Coast for critical medical services. AEFASC was more than excited to donate $2,000 to the Foundation to enable them to ship the equipment to Winneba.

MANA--2020 CONGRESS

Dear AEFASC Friends:
I hope you and your families are all doing well and keeping safe by observing all the protocols out there.
MANA affiliates had a meeting last Saturday, July 4, 2020. Our meetings are usually held via conference calls, but this was different and special. For the first time we had the meeting GoToMeeting video medium. It was really refreshing and exciting seeing the faces of our friends in other states and cities as we discussed matters affecting MANA. Some of the friends we knew from previous congresses but there were some who were new.
The main item we discussed at this meeting was the appeal that had been made in April 2020 for the affiliates to contribute monies towards purchasing face masks, hand sanitizers and gloves to be given to district hospitals in the Central Region in Ghana. Fortunately, these items are currently being made in Ghana so they would be bought in Ghana and distributed there without having to incur the high cost of these items here in the U.S.A. and the shipment to Ghana.
I am happy to report that our group, MfantseKuw of Southern California (MoSC) was the first affiliate to contribute $1,000.00 to the fund, soon after the appeal was launched. We sent in our donation on May 4. MANA currently has 12 members. As of the time of the meeting last Saturday half of the affiliates had sent in their contributions. In fact we in Southern California have become the standard for the other affiliates. Colorado wanted to beat us so they donated $1,001.00! They sent in their donation only two weeks ago. Never mind that they have not yet paid their $300.00 dues for 2020! The affiliates in Chicago, the Carolinas, and Connecticut had each contributed $500.00. Greater Cincinnati had contributed $200.00. Thus as of Saturday the appeal had garnered $3,701.00. The other affiliates that had not contributed any monies were New Jersey, Maryland, Houston, Minnesota, Columbus Ohio and Massachusetts. They had excuses galore.
I want to congratulate you all for your dedication to the association and for making us all proud as the beacon of light for MANA and I want to thank you all.

DR. Charles Blankson, President, MoSC

The 2018 Congress was held at Dublin, Near Columbus, Ohio from Thursday, July 12 through Saturday, July 14, 2018. The congress was attended by delegates from Chicago, Connecticut, Worcester, New York, Colorado, Minnesota, Atlanta, Houston and the Carolinas. California sent 17 members, five were from AEFASC and 12 were from our sister organization, the Mfantseman Kuw of California. The following were the major highlights of the Congress: There was a welcome party at the home of Maame Aba Dadzie, who was elected the president of MANA the following day. We went on a cruise on Lake Erie Friday afternoon. Friday night was cultural event which featured a durbar of elegantly costumed Fante chiefs including our own Nana Akosua Ampiah, a fancy dress display by delegates from Chicago and Connecticut and an enactment of Akwanbo festival. Saturday morning was the business meeting at which a new executive committee was elected headed by Maame Aba Dadzie. This was followed in the afternoon by a business forum which featured Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, a highly successful businessman. Dr. Nduom described his many businesses and gave lots of advice regarding potential areas of investments for congress members. Companies that were represented at this forum and the evening’s banquet were, the GN Bank in Chicago, Pay Global, a money transfer company and Imperial Homes, both owned by Dr. Nduom. The final event of the Congress was the banquet the Saturday evening that was addressed by Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom and the Ghana Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Dr. Barfuor Adjei-Barwuah.

Dr. Nduom made a donation of $10,000.00 to MANA to support the Congress’ goal of providing equipment to the Children’s ward at the University of Cape Coast Regional Hospital.

AEFASC REHABILITATES WINNEBA SCHOOL BUILDINGS

Before & after images of rehabilitation

boxes of books donated

Boxes of books to school and church & library

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP

MANA CONGRESS POSTPONED

AEFASC Donates school supplies

Photo Gallery of the presentation

Mana Donates Face masks

Custom-Made Masks from Mana

Charlottesville-Winneba Foundation

Charlottesville-Winneba Foundation and AEFASC

Photo Gallery of the presentation

MANA--2020 CONGRESS

2018 MANA Congress