Despite an extra day at Manchester Airport due to Storm Doris we made it to Tamale just 24 hours late. Marian had been on the last plane leaving Amsterdam so had stayed in Accra, thanks to Mandy Budge of Multikids School who also re-arranged our internal flights. The delay meant we had only a half a day to set up the course venue in the Physiotherapy Department at Tamale Teaching Hospital, visit the local market for essentials such as plastic bowls and wheat flour to make the paste and travel to the homes of two of our potential patients to assess their needs. Esther and a friendly taxi driver came with us to help with introductions and the language barrier. On the Monday morning we arrived at the Department at 8am and were in business by 9am meeting our course participants. They were from a wide range of backgrounds including nurses, a medical student, physio staff and Occupational Therapists, an art teacher and student from the King’s Village School, a Pastor, his wife and six week old baby, and a couple of mums. The CPA course to make chairs lasts for two weeks, but due to the Independence Day bank holiday one of the sessions was held on Saturday and we had a day off on Monday to watch the parade. Four chairs were made, one by each group of course students. On the last Friday afternoon (one of the hottest at 48°C) there was a grand presentation ceremony when the hospital Directors and Administrators, some in their best traditional robes, presented certificates to our course participants. The completed decorated practice stools and the chairs were on display. The hospital is happy to support the participants, now known as the Tamale APT group in continuing to provide chairs for more children.
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