In conversation with Eleasha Ankomah, Head of Foundation.

The Good Roll Foundation

My name is Eleasha Ankomah. Before I was appointed as the new Head of Foundation at the end of February, I was Project Manager Ghana. I am very proud of the work I have been able to do for the foundation in the past months and I can't wait to make my dream come true. What makes me most proud is that we are not like all other (WASH) NGOs, but really strive to create more local opportunities. This is exactly what I am going to explain to you in this newsletter. I want to map out the past five months with an honest look at where we were, where we are now and where we are aiming for in the near future.

I started in this role because Sander said: “I have an idea and I want you to write a sustainable business case for it”. My first focus was to understand where we are now. Over the years that we have been active as a foundation, there is something that we have learned over and over again: during our important audits, or when assessing the needs in Ghana, we always came to the realization that building a toilet is not enough.

The solution we envision together with local communities is the Good Village Approach with core themes of self-reliance and sustainable development. In other words: "making the world less shitty one village at a time."

I would also like to give you the first big update: the foundation is expanding! Are you or do you know someone who is an expert in the field of online marketing/social media and fundraising and would like to help build in Ghana because "making the world less shitty" is also his or her goal? Then contact me via eleasha@thegoodroll.nl, then we can quickly sit down.

From now on I will regularly take you along in the story of the Good Roll Foundation. Have you always wondered how we as a foundation are put together, how you can help even more, or just what our projects look like behind the scenes? Then you are in the right place.

Good Village Approach

Together with one of our key stakeholders, the traditional leader of the villages where we want to make an impact, we have created a model. A model with which we can make our sanitary facilities more accessible to more people during and outside school hours. With the Good Village approach we will continue to build toilets. Our dream for the future is to continue building based on broader needs in the communities. In this way we contribute together to a self-sufficient community, powered by poo!

Safisana

In October 2023, we entered into a partnership with Safisana. We are conducting the first-ever trial to investigate the effectiveness of organic fertilizer on bamboo growth and development and to promote sustainable bamboo production in general. This trial will take place on agricultural fields adjacent to the Safisana recycling plant in Ashaiman, which is part of the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority. The trial will last approximately two years.

In the first week, the organic seedlings were planted, provided by INBAR, an intergovernmental development organization that promotes environmentally friendly development with bamboo and rattan. Safisana tests on four different plots: on one plot no fertilizer is added and on the other plots 1, 2 and 3 kg are added respectively in the planting hole, so that the optimal amount can also be determined.

With this test we hope to take the first step towards the production of The Good Roll Foundation's own organic fertilizer. The sale of this organic fertilizer will improve the quality and quantity of bamboo yields, promote sustainable production of bamboo in Ghana and help the foundation support public schools in Ghana in the maintenance of the biogas installations.

Now, almost nine months into the trial, Daniel Larkai, Head of Agronomy at Safisana, explains: “Growing bamboo with compost is effective because, compared to the areas where no fertilizer was applied, there is a big difference in terms of new shoots emerging. The 1 kg looks very good compared to the other treatments. But it takes two years to complete the trial properly so I would say it is too early to conclude that this will be the best treatment.”

I look forward to giving you more updates on our innovative business model: “making serious business of poop!”

Two new pilots

I am currently busy preparing for the foundation’s return to Ghana, where we will open two new projects and start the Good Village Pilot. I look forward to giving you more updates on the work we do here at the foundation. Are you or do you know someone who loves to work for a good cause and is an expert in social media or fundraising? Feel free to send an email to eleasha@thegoodroll.nl. I am honored to be able to give back to the world in this way and can’t wait to scale up the foundation’s impact.

Are you also excited about the future of the foundation and do you want to support us in creating broader access to sanitation? Then donate to the foundation now via this link: https://www.thegoodrollfoundation.com/donate