Impact Assessment of MLI Projects in the Asuogyaman District

MLI runs a system of three months periodic checks on all projects to assess the impact of the project on the community and take progress reports from the various management committees setup in the various communities. Following this, the MLI projects team and some partners embarked on a usual periodic visit to selected operational areas in the Eastern region.

Areas visited included; Apegusu, Aboasa and Akwamufie. The team was met at Akosombo by Rev. Wontomi, the district pastor of the Assemblies of God Church who led the team to these communities.

The main purpose of the visit was to find out the state of the projects (Boreholes and Church) provided by MLI and its partners and also to sensitize these communities ahead of a massive Jesus Film outreach in September.

IN APEGUSU

The first community visited was Apegusu. Apegusu is a commercial community located in the Asuogyaman district of the Eastern Region of Ghana. There were two old boreholes serving the over 13,000 people in Apegusu and its environs (Asempa-Neye and Quarters). With support from Cornerstone Fellowship, we drilled this borehole for them. They were very appreciative of the project. 

Although our visit was impromptu, the people were very welcoming. We noticed that the environment where the borehole was sited was not being kept clean enough by the people and the plaque on the borehole had also been damaged. However, the people were very happy with the borehole and they gave very good testimonies of how the borehole had eased their living. The community members who were around at the time of the visit were full of praise for the provision of the well. They enumerated a lot of benefits which includes; Women and children did not have to travel long distances for water any more and lateness to school by the children had also been curtailed.

IN ABOASA

The team’s next point of call was Aboasa. Aboasa is also located in the same district as Apegusu and has a population of about 11,000 people. As a result of the borehole MLI provided them about 4 years ago, they invited MLI to plant a church there. The church has survived challenge of inconsistent membership grow because they've had to change meeting places several times. It is doing well by God's grace and we hope to get more resources to support the efforts of the selfless men of God who are in charge of the church.

In assessing the borehole in this community, we realized that the committee that was assigned to manage the project was more organized, and the surroundings of the borehole was also very clean. We were informed by the caretaker who was a woman that, it costs 5 pesewas to fetch a 34cm bucket or an equivalent size from the borehole which was the money being levied for the maintenance of the borehole. According to the her, the maximum amount she collects daily is 3.00 cedis and the minimum is 1 cedi 50 pesewes. The committee accounts to the people through periodic meetings every three months. The people however complained that the water was a bit salty.

AKWAMUFIE

Akwamufie simply means "Home of Akwamu". According to a woman from the royal family, Okomfo Anokye (a very powerful fetish priest who existed many years ago and founded the city of Kumasi) hails from Akwamu. This, he said contributes to the inhabitants of the town being predominantly traditional worshipers. MLI planted a Church in this community some 4 years ago. Our visit was to do an assessment on the Church, assess some of the needs of the community and also sensitize the community ahead of a Jesus Film outreach in September.

In an interview with the pastor, this is what he had to say,... "The church is doing well by God's grace because our current membership is 32, but we're facing a few challenges. Our current place of worship was given to us temporarily but is now being demanded back by the owner’s son. The church made an attempt to purchase a land to put up a permanent structure, but its going for GH¢1,500 which we can't afford. We also don't have musical instrument, thus our services are not lively enough to attract people to fellowship with us."