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24.06.2015 01:13:06 4603x read. GHANA Kaleo Community. Kaleo Community.
Kaleo community was our very first community where we started in 1965 when the Congregation together with Bishop Peter Porekuu Dery decided to integrate the existing Congregation of Ghanaian Brothers (Brothers of St. Joseph) into FIC. In September 1965 the first novitiate took off with Bro. Remund as the temporary novice master until Bros. Oventius and Maarten arrived in October 1965.
Kaleo was also our very first FIC formation house, where young people were introduced to the FIC way of life. After the first candidates completed their novitiate in 1966 and 1969 respectively, the house was temporarily closed down (used as centre for catechist training and local language learning) and was officially reopened in 1972 when preparations were made to open St. Basilide ́s, the carpentry school, there. At the same time the community resumed its former function as formation centre and place of recruitment of candidates.
At this moment St. Basilide ́s is still the core of our apostolic presence there, even though some of the brothers are engaged in other activities: Bro. Aloys is the Headmaster of St. Dominic’s Junior High School, while Bro. Hans is the administrator of our newly established private primary school in St. Louis, Wa. In Kaleo we also find the Orthopaedic Training Centre, established by our brother nurse, Bro. Bosco B., at present the Diocesan Coordinator for health. Bro. Michael, officially retired from the Education Service, takes care of the day to day affairs at that Centre.
St Basilide’s
Originally this school was established as a training centre for carpentry, where young people were being trained to produce furniture. The school was affiliated to NVTI (National Vocational Training Institute), which was set up by Government to promote the training of skilled labour for which there was a great demand. St. Basilide’s wanted to give an answer to that by training young people to become producers of furniture.
The name St. Basilide was taken to honour one of the pioneer missionaries of the White Fathers, Bro. Basilide, who built for the growing mission (schools and housing)and trained young people on the job. They worked and learnt at the same time. The Kaleo school named the institution after him not only to honour the contribution he made to the development of the area, but also to elaborate on the tradition he had established.
In the course of the last 40 years, the school has grown and developed. Apart from carpentry, students can study building technology, electricals and welding and construction. It is now a fully fledged technical school and has recently been upgraded to Technical Senior High School through its absorption into GES.
St. Dominic’s JHS
Bro. Aloys is the headmaster here. This is one of the oldest schools in Kaleo, established at the beginning of the Catholic Mission in Kaleo. Part of the buildings are in deplorable state, due to lack of maintenance. Ghana Government does not invest in schools that have not been built by themselves, even though GES is responsible for the school.
Orthopaedic Training Centre
This was started by Bro. Bosco when he was in charge of the Health Centre in Kaleo. He met so many handicapped people who needed assistance that, in close cooperation with the orthopaedic centre in Nsawam (near Accra), he set up this centre so that the handicapped did not need to travel long distances and be far away from their families while receiving treatment and training.
At the moment the Centre produces wheelchairs for handicapped people as well as providing training and coordinating medical treatment in close consultation with Dr. Prosper Moo from Dunya Nkwanta who is specialised in orthopaedic surgery (Maastricht Medical School). Bro. Michael looks after the administration of the centre.
Bernardus building firm
A few years ago, FIC started its own building firm and accepts contracts mainly for FIC purposes. Bro. Francis is the one running this while at the same time teaching part-time at St. Basilide’s. At the moment they are building the extension at St. Louis in Wa. |