Construction
Construct New Buildings for Housing and Education
The Need
The primary challenge facing Crossover International Academy when we first started was most basic: shelter. At the time of our earliest interactions, the Ghanaian boarding school was comprised of two huts (thatched roofs on sticks, no walls) serving as both classroom and sleeping quarter; a small, enclosed administrative building; and a water tank replenished regularly by students with potentially-tainted water from Lake Volta. (The facility was situated on rented land, a quarter of a mile from the lake.) At night, the students slept three or four to a mat on hard dirt, without blankets or pillows. Precipitation would frequently force students off the ground and onto benches, soaked and cold, or off-campus, into the homes of local villagers.
The Big Vision
In June of 2013, Wings for Crossover was created as a 501c3 nonprofit organization with a big-picture objective: to construct the buildings needed to educate and shelter the orphans of Crossover International Academy. Initial fundraising efforts netted enough funds for the architectural renderings of this new facility, which would include two classroom blocks, boys’ and girls’ dormitories, a library, a vocational block, and administrative building, all laid out logically across three acres of land. With issues of imminent hunger and rampant water-born illness providing daily distraction, it was ambitious indeed.
The Big Vision
December 2013
Crossover Academy, with the help of Wings for Crossover, purchased a two-acre plot of land for $20,000. (The new site is within walking distance of its current location and ideally elevated on a plateau overlooking the lake.)
January – April 2014
Crisis suspended progress. A year earlier, the Ghanaian Ministry of Health had conducted its annual inspection of the property and issued a clear warning: improve the living conditions in one year or the school will be shut down. To stay open, $3,000 was diverted from the planning process to build a temporary shelter. The setback was, in the end, a blessing; the local builder assigned to the task delivered an exceptional product on time and under budget, and was hired to replace the original builder at lower cost.
April 2014
Crossover Academy, with the help of Wings for Crossover, purchased a third acre of adjacent land for an additional $10,000. The final steps toward breaking ground were methodically checked off. With surveyors satisfied and site plans and final drawings in place, the local planning commission gave its blessing.
May 2014
Without the entire funds for the project, construction began piecemeal. In spring 2104, building commenced on the two classroom blocks, alone. One of the blocks was to contain six classrooms for primary school students, with three classrooms in the second block exclusively for middle school use. Together, these buildings would accommodate nine classes of students from Kindergarten through eighth grade.
May – December 2014
Crisis returned. It had long been recognized that contaminated water would threaten the security of Crossover students no matter how thick the walls, and a rash of water-born diseases plagued the school that summer as if to prove it. (And, tragically, one young student drowned in Lake Volta while collecting water. Another died of sickle cell.) Pegasus students sent a shipment of Hurley water filters for drinking as a stopgap, but fundraising resumed to build a well.
Early December 2014
Construction of a Bore Hole delivering clean drinking water to the Crossover community was completed. Plans for a septic tank to accommodate boys and girls bathroom stalls and showers were finalized.
Late December 2014
The two classroom blocks were completed. The structures were immediately utilized for educational purposes, but – until further building commences – as dormitories as well. While undoubtedly a refuge, the buildings were empty and students both studied and slept on the cement floor. Students at the Pegasus School quickly launched a holiday fundraiser to address the need. They sold “Merry Mats” for $30 a piece to kids and their families eager to provide comfort to the Ghanaian students. Today, those mats serve as cushion at night, and a desktop during the day.
2015: Classrooms
A major accomplishment in 2015 was the completion of the classrooms. We completed a structure that includes six primary school classrooms and three middle school classrooms. All work was done by local workers using local materials.
2016-Kindergarten Class
In 2016, Wings worked with CrossPoint Church in Huntington Beach. Through their fundraising efforts, a beautiful kindergarten classroom structure came to life at Crossover.
2017 Boys and Girls Dorms
We are thrilled to announce that in 2017, we were able to build dorms for the boys and girls. Again, CrossPoint Church was instrumental in helping make the dorms happen. The dorms include showers, toilets, and bunk beds for all 253 students at Crossover. What an amazing transformation!
2018-2019 Dining Hall
In the late summer of 2018 we began construction on a dining hall. On this project, Champlain Investment Partners were the driving force behind the funding. Many members of thier office contributed and the company matched. Weather and civil unrest in the region stalled progress. But the building has been constructed and students can now sit at tables and eat inside.
2019 Perimeter Fence
Starting in 2019, the Volta Region experienced political unrest. Given the regional volatility, we decided it would be best to reinforce the fence around the campus. The school now has a block fence and sturdy gates.
2020 Smokeless Stoves
In 2020, it is amazing to look at the accomplishments. There is a lower and middle school, dorms, a fence, a well, a kindergarten building, a perimeter fence, and now a dining hall. Crossover stands as one of the best facilities in the region! We are so proud and thankful for everyone that has contributed along the way. This began research and had the intention to add much more efficient stoves to the dining hall. Covid hit and we have been on hold since.
