Visit to Lawra – 22nd January to 1st February 2016
I have just returned from Lawra in Upper West Ghana. I was tasked with escorting Asif Noorani (Founding and Managing Partner, Epiphany Productions www.epiphany-productions.co.uk) and Graham Tilley (Creative Director, Epiphany Productions) up to Lawra. I had met Asif whilst representing ATE at a Commercial Education Trust function at the Chamber of Commerce in London last July. Asif had already heard of ATE’s work and through talking with him about the charity he offered to come to Lawra to “put pictures to ATE’s story” in order to help with our marketing and communications. Epiphany Productions carry out a pro bono piece of work annually and it was an absolute privilege that this year they chose to donate their time and skills to ATE.
Asif and Graham spent 6 days filming ATE’s work. This was often in very hot, dusty conditions. I think it’s fair to say they were hugely impressed by ATE’s work; in particular how well integrated the charity is in the local community and ATE’s ethos of collaboration and partnership that threads though all our work. They expressed enormous pleasure in getting to know ATE’s dedicated and hard working local consultants, as well as our Ghana Operations Manager, Habib Albeboure, and his newly appointed Project Assistant Edith Kebo Kuu-im. They also got to meet and talk with many of the local people benefitting from ATE’s projects.
In Asif’s own words: “It was genuinely inspiring to see the work of ATE touching and improving the lives of people in Lawra. On arriving in Lawra, the magnitude of inequality and lack of opportunity was impossible to deny. Yet through the most sensitive local insight, and collaborative working approach, we witnessed the impact of ATE’s interventions in the smiles, behaviour and optimism of schoolchildren, enterprising minds and families of children living with special needs.”
Asif and Graham, and the team at Epiphany, now have the task of digesting the 8 hours of footage they have in order to create a short film to bring alive the nature of ATE’s work in Lawra. The plan is to hold a premiere screening in London in May this year. All of us at ATE are hugely excited by this opportunity and believe the launch of the film will substantially increase ATE’s profile both nationally and internationally. It has thus far been an absolute pleasure working with Graham and Asif. The trip was surprisingly seamless and their enthusiasm, commitment and good humour very much appreciated.
Pip Coid Gardner (3/2/16)
Founder and Volunteer
Action Through Enterprise