On your marks ... 4 weeks to go!

Hi dearies!

So far we've gotten 15 volunteers who have signed up to work with us on the 17th.
Did I hear some clapping? Go on, standing ovation won't hurt! lol ... but I think I'll go ahead for 15 more and stop (or keep taking!). The vols are from Ashesi and Legon so far ... whatsup Central, Winsonsin, Valley View, UCC, KNUST, Zenith, all dem dems?!!!! Represent.

You oughta know, we've got a promotion running as well : for the youth and students who need the extra cash ... every person they sign up into any of our sports competitions (Marathon, Swimming, Cycling) gets them GH 1 cash ... so you sign up 50 people, you get GH 50 instantly!

For those who have already signed up with us, we have promised to refund their registration fee of GH 10 when they get 5 others to sign up! Word ... we will.

So far, so good!

We did a lot of trudging around with fliers from Friday and all through this week.

Most people were excited to hear that the gate fee is going to be GH 2, and if you come in a group of 4, its going to be GH 6 ! Are we crazy?!!! No ... just chilling! lol

Reggie's ticket is going for GH 20 and is for only 150 people. Charity ball tickets are going for GH 50 and for 200 people. We are busy like mad ... and its just 4 weeks away, crikey!

From the pictures above, you can see that we have been around town this week ... We went to Legon to put up fliers and posters, went to Ashesi (whose ITC level allowed us to utilise the digital spreading of fliers ...which has been marvellous), sent some to Central, and sent SMS to all the students we knew personally, so they spread the word. We are putting up campus TV and radio adverts, so that a max of students can be reached. We need their generation primed and ready to go green when they take over the reins of control.

Also, we dedicated one day to taxi drivers, shops and businesses, and other services ... who needed to know about the fair stands.
We will be putting up one last advert in the Graphic in a short while ... to round up final interested people for the fair stands.

Now,I called Zoomlion up to track our letter, and it couldn't be found. Not unusual, if you're wondering ... we face it in most places.
However, the peculiar aspect for Zoomlion's head office is that the employees themselves couldn't seem to tell me which department I could send concerns and invitations to .... There is such a profusion of departments in there, even when they sent me in, i was sent from block to block - receptionist to receptionist ... and finally ended up in a PR office ... where it seemed like the letter would be laid to a decade's rest.

When i tried to fish for a name or a definite person ... people got confused ... The security man told me at the gate ..."it gets in there to the wrong person, and it's lost forever. So you gotta be very precise, lady." Na wa ooo!

How can you have so many departments, such a huge expanse of work area ... and no coordination of data, information, and communication????!!!!

Well, we met Mr. Agyenim Boateng of Wilkins, North Kaneshie (they assemble solar lanterns, and do some solar engineering as well) on Thursday. He had requested the meeting, and was insistent on knowing us, and what the driving force for ESF was ...
Passion, we told him. Passion, and a dream. A big dream.
If there is someone we need to have on board, its him. He is a young success himself ... and we were excited that he was excited about the Greenfoot Campaign. Nice to have you on board, A-B!

Next agenda: Trashy Bags, Dzorwulu.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out from the sign at their gate, that they also advocate against Carbon Emissions and burning plastics (toxic fumes).
I didnt know thaaaaat! lol.

So i went in and met Elvis and Samuel ... two pleasant administrators. Unfortunately, Mr. Gold was not yet in ... apparently just back from a trip abroad.Stewaret Gold is the CEO for TB.

So I took the time to explain what we were doing, and why Trashy Bags would fit in tremendously in partnership of some sort ... and also why they simply ought to be at the fair on the 17th!

We had a good conversation, and I left the letters and promised to be back the following Monday, to try and meet Stewart Gold himself.

But of course, I couldn't very well leave without feasting meself to their goodies, could i?!

So i splurged on a "pure water"sling bag, and a cutsie "tampico" wallet of refreshing greens and oranges! Then I rounded it all up with a couple of pictures, as you can very well see.

Now, at the end of each day, my only problem is that our clients don't understand why we need to close off registration early enough to plan the fair well ... some of them call and postpone payments ... got me going red and black keeping my worries locked up, you guys have!!

I will like to thank Fred Anani-Frimpong ... for interviewing me and publicising ESF's work on his dotFAF.com. Every booster helps, and I was surprised to learn from comments on the interview, that we have some silent followers on our work as well. I thank all the commentators ... and appreciate the support. We need your help to make it whole, people!

On to next stop.
Next day or two ... I'm gonna stir up trouble.
I'm gonna talk about Lighting Africa, and what I think was behind what they did ... and somebody better call the police! It's going to be smoky in here ... cus you see, I consider abrasiveness as an occupational hazard for ESF, being young females as we are; and a start-up; and an NGO.

So when it comes up, it doesn't tickle me ... but I usually like to understand which angle the abrasiveness is from, cus it might be caused by something we genuinely did wrong, which we have to stop or alter ... and if i didnt search for the cause, i could overlook this and keep on doing it.

But when i don't see the cause, and abrasiveness comes ... especially in a hostile manner ... and i keep searching and searching and still don't see the cause .... I go PI. Yes ... so i went PI on Lighting Africa ... and I am going to share what I think happened ... in as nice a way as possible (unless they declare war first). Some of the 'advice' and 'positions' they took at our meeting ... and only for me to find out ... hmmmmm!!

People, we gotta stop the division now. Stop tamping down your fellow country (wo) man! .... Now. Stop it.