Glorious Hands Unties the Gordian Knot

Years ago, EWIA teamed up with two other partners to install a solar power system at an orphanage in Ghana’s Eastern Region. In this brief self-reflection, you can read about why this pro bono project unfortunately stalled for a very long time—and how we finally cut through the Gordian knot. Imagine a Chinese man, a Lebanese man, and a German man meeting in Ghana…

We all know that Africa operates by its own laws and rules. But the fact that Europe and Asia often don’t exactly cover themselves in glory is illustrated by a social project in Koforidua, the capital of the Eastern Region.

First things first: All’s well that ends well.

About two and a half years ago, we installed a solar power system with a storage unit for the “Glorious Hands” orphanage. The Glorious Hands Foundation e.V. is a registered nonprofit organization based in Freiburg, founded by a Ghanaian woman living there. We managed this social project pro bono, in collaboration with a Chinese technology provider and a local wholesaler and EPC contractor with Lebanese roots. The project was initiated and managed by EWIA and sponsored by the other two companies. One of the two companies handled the installation, planning, and implementation. At the opening, we all celebrated our hard work and social commitment.

A lightning strike later, however, the excitement had evaporated. In fact, the power surge could have been easily prevented with a component that would have cost the equivalent of just $200. The damage, on the other hand, amounted to several thousand dollars.

Who pays? Who is responsible? Even if the mistake was caused by the other party, we should still split the costs three ways from our perspective. Mind you, as a startup, EWIA is the smallest player in this scenario! and we have to watch every penny. It quickly became clear that those with the deepest pockets and those who were most adept at exploiting the project for marketing purposes had disappeared and didn’t feel responsible.

The back-and-forth dragged on for more than two years, much to the chagrin of the people we had made so many promises to—people I had looked in the eye myself! It was frustrating. Now, finally, there is a resolution: the manufacturer’s former sales manager, Matthias Wagner, is now working for a new company, and Atmoce ensured that top-quality components were delivered to Ghana. Thank you very much for that!

Our team in Ghana covered the installation costs and planning (after all, the entire system had to be dismantled, rewired, and reinstalled). After 2.5 years, the orphanage and many children now have electricity, lighting, and a working air conditioning system again—and we have our peace of mind back.