2015 Annual Report

Blue Skies Foundation Annual Report 2015 2

CONTENTS

Introduction………………………….. ….. 03

Structure…….…………………………… 04

Board of Directors……………………….. 05

Staff……..……………………….………… 06

Foundation Council………….………… 07

Project overview………………………… 08

Ghana Projects……………….………….. 10

Senegal Projects……………….…………16

South Africa Projects……………………. 17

Past projects revisited………………….. 18


A LETTER FROM THE BOARD

2015 was another busy year for the Foundation. We

completed ten projects including our first in Senegal,

we launched our School Farm of the Year competition

to encourage the next generation of farmers, and we

celebrated with our founding partners at the Waitrose

Foundation as they reached their ten year anniversary.

‘Embracing Agriculture’ was an appropriate theme for 2015.

Farming is the mainstay of each of our businesses and is the means

to feeding a rising world population, and yet it is in decline. In

Ghana the discovery of oil has averted attention away from

agriculture and towards a non-renewable resource which has seen

its value plummet over the past three years. Meanwhile despite

abundant natural resources and bags of potential, the value of

value-added agriculture has almost halved since 2005 when it was

worth 41% of GDP to only 22% of GDP in 2014. Ghana is just one

example, but there are many like it. If we want to crush poverty

and ensure we have enough food to feed the world then the

message is clear; we must embrace agriculture.

Blue Skies has grown because of its proximity to farmers, but it

cannot prop up the agricultural sector alone. For it to work it must

have support from all sections of society in order to provide the

market, the environment, the energy, the skills, the people, and

the encouragement to thrive. The Foundation can play a part by

bringing together participants in the supply chain to strengthen

trading relations and address some of the challenges, but we need

others to also play their part and to take their responsibility. So as

the Foundation goes from strength to strength we cannot afford to

be complacent and neither can we expect to do everything, but we

can do what little we can to inspire others to also take the initiative

and get behind agriculture!

The Board of Directors


STRUCTURE

The Foundation is structured in such a way that enables projects to be

identified by the communities themselves. Projects are proposed by the

communities based on their needs. Each of six geographical zones

(representing areas where Blue Skies sources its fruit) has an elected member

on the Foundation council – usually a Blue Skies farmer. The communities

present and discuss their proposals in front of the Foundation council, which

will then submit their recommendation to the Foundation board. Projects have

to show a clear management and maintenance strategy by the communities.

Projects are evaluated after completion and again after one or five years

depending on the outcome of the evaluation. The Foundation manager at Blue

Skies supports and oversees the implementation and visits each project

regularly. Projects are owned by the communities.

Funding Parties

Waitrose is a UK supermarket company which is part

of the John Lewis Partnership. The company has 197

stores and focuses on selling high quality food and

offering exceptional customer service.

Albert Heijn is Dutch supermarket company and has

750 stores in the Netherlands. Like Waitrose, Albert

Heijn also focuses on selling quality food and offering

a high level of customer service.

Blue Skies is a fresh-cut fruit company with factories

in Ghana, South Africa, Egypt and Brazil. The company

prepares fruit at its factories which it sells to shops in

Europe, South Africa and Brazil, including Waitrose

and Albert Heijn.

Advisors ICCO are an independent advisory body who provide

advice on projects on behalf of the Albert Heijn

Foundation. ICCO offer advice on the development of

project applications as well as project

implementation, monitoring, evaluation and impact

assessment.


BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Abena Asomaning-Antwi Foundation Advisory Director

Abena is a Management Consultant with multi-faceted experience

gained from years of working in different disciplines and sectors.

Her areas of expertise include Identification and Composition of

new Ventures; Results-based Strategic Management and Planning,

Effective Networking and Customer Care. Abena is also Founder &

Executive Director of Angel Zoe Foundation, a Ghanaian Non-Profit

Organization which aims to assist in the rehabilitation, reformation

and reintegration of women in prison and to render support to

vulnerable children.

Amali Bunter Foundation Director, Waitrose

Amali Bunter is responsible for managing Waitrose’s sustainable

development programme across Africa, the Waitrose Foundation,

which aims to enable better livelihoods for workers within the

retailer’s supply chains. She also manages the business's strategic

partnership with Fairtrade, from product conversions, marketing

campaigns and targeted programmes in sourcing communities. She

is passionate about the role of business within global development

and the positive impact of sourcing responsibly.

Anthony Pile Foundation Director, Blue Skies

Anthony Pile is the Founder and Chairman of Blue Skies, which he

setup in 1997. He was a soldier in the British Army for 13 years and

saw active service in the Middle East, Northern Ireland and Cyprus.

He has been a magistrate, attended the post graduate Sloan

Fellowship Programme at the London Business School and was the

Managing Director of Orchard House Foods. In 2011 Anthony

received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Cranfield in

recognition of his achievements with Blue Skies.

Henri Zondag Foundation Director, Albert Heijn

Henri is a graduate from Nijenrode Business University in the

Netherlands. After active military service as an Infantry Officer in

the Dutch Army, he joined Procter & Gamble in 1982 where he

spent much of his career in customer development, marketing,

organizational development and general management. In 2007, he

was invited by Ahold to become involved in the development of

their Sustainable Business Development model. Henri currently

oversees community development projects in cooperation with

several African suppliers in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Mali

and Ghana.


FOUNDATION STAFF

Simon Derrick Blue Skies Foundation Coordinator

Simon joined Blue Skies in 2005. He looks after the company’s

brand and communications and has taken a lead role in advancing

the Joint Effort Enterprise model which Blue Skies has become

recognised for. He has a Masters degree in Sustainable

Development and has previously worked for the BBC and for a

market research agency as a data analyst and systems developer.

Alistair Djimtey Blue Skies Foundation Manager

Alistair Derby Djimatey joined Blues Skies in 2002 as a quality

Assurance Officer. He progressed to the position of Audit Controller

in charge of ensuring compliance with BRC, GlobalGAP and organic

standards. He was also responsible for internal auditing of the

quality management system and training of newly employed staff as

well as refresher training for regular staff. Alistair has high affinity

for community service and advocacy. He was the chairman of the

local Union for over two years.

Waydu Nhlapo Blue Skies Foundation Representative, South Africa

Waydu Nhlapo was born in Siyathemba and is married with two

daughters. She is a graduate from Vanderbiljpack Collage. Waydu

joined Blue Skies in 2004 and was elected as Welfare chairperson.

She was appointed as a Quality Assurance Officer in 2005 and was

later made a team leader. Waydu enjoys working closely with

people and devoting time and effort where her help is needed. In

2006 Waydu was promoted to the position of Human Resource

Manager and currently remains employed in this capacity. She took

on the additional responsibility as Foundation Officer in 2009.

Gloria Asare Blue Skies Foundation Representative, Senegal

Gloria Asare is the General Manager of the Blue Skies Packhouse in

Senegal. Gloria has a wealth of experience in fruit procurement and

plays an instrumental role in sourcing mango for Blue Skies across

the West African Region. Gloria is entrepreneurial, resourceful and

fluent in many languages including French, which is the native

language of Senegal. Gloria leads the Foundation Committee in the

town of Notto Gouye Diama where the Blue Skies pack house is

based.


FOUNDATION COUNCIL

Our Foundation Council in Ghana meets regularly to debate

project ideas and develop proposals for submission to the Board.

The Council is made up of representatives of staff and grower

regions. Led by Foundation Manager Alistair Djimatey, our

Council Members are Frank Essel (representing sugarloaf

pineapple growers), Martin Owusu (representing staff), Gametti

Moses (representing pineapple growers), Lemuel Mantey

(representing papaya growers), James Nyamson (representing

coconut growers), Seth Diammah (representing the first mango

growing area), and Alimo Godfred (representing the second

mango growing area).

Some of the Council are pictured below with the Foundation Board.

Photographed (left to right) is, Seth Diammah, Frank Essel, Amali

Bunter, Martin Owusu, Gametti Moses, Simon Derrick, Henri

Zondag, Abena Antwi and Alistair Djimatey.


2015 PROJECT OVERVIEW

This project was to provide a new three-classroom

block, head teacher’s office and store for the school

to enable a safe environment for the teachers and

students.

The aim of this project was to construct a four

bedroom teacher’s accommodation block for a

school in the Central Region of Ghana in order to

improve the retention rate of teachers at the school.

The aim of this project was to provide a new twelve

seater KVIP for the people of Pokrum in order to

improve the health status of the community and

reduce incidents of communicable diseases.

The objective of this project was to construct a 10-

seater KVIP latrine for a school in a pineapple

growing community in order to reduce

communicable diseases among the population.

This project was to provide a toilet facility for

patients and staff at a clinic in the town of Nswam in

order to improve sanitation and raise the profile of

this important health facility.

The aim of this project was to clean-up the town of

Notto Gouye Diama by mobilizing volunteers within

the community and providing bins and equipment to

enable the safe removal of waste from the area.


2015 PROJECT OVERVIEW

The ‘School Farm of the Year’ Competition has

been designed to encourage students in Ghana to

get involved in setting up and managing a farm

for their school.

Zenzele Day Care Centre

The project involved the provision of furniture, toys

and learning resources for this Day Care Centre for

children between the ages of 2 and 5 in the town of

Greylingstad in South Africa

This project was to provide play equipment for the

Joy Day Care Centre which is located in the town of

Grootvlei in South Africa to improve literacy among

learners going in to primary education.

The aim of this project was to support this centre for

disabled children in the town of Balfour in South

Africa by providing learning resources and catering

equipment.


GHANA PROJECTS

Obodan is a community of around 1,500

people in the Akuapem South Municipality of

the Eastern region of Ghana. It is a farming

community and home to several pineapple

suppliers to Blue Skies.

The Junior High school is used by a number of

neighbouring villages and has a population of about 200 pupils. Previously the

classrooms had become structurally unsound and large cracks led to the

buildings being declared unsafe by local authorities.

This project was therefore to provide a new three-classroom block, head

teacher’s office and store for the school to enable a safe environment for the

teachers and students. The project was completed in July 2015.

Above: The new classroom block at Obodan School

Project Evaluation Score

Physical condition GOOD

Working Maintenance Plan YES

Overall Status GOOD

The student population has

risen from 189 to 250 pupils

and currently all classrooms are full.


GHANA PROJECTS

Nanabin is a farming community of around

1,900 people including 24 suppliers of

Sugarloaf pineapple to Blue Skies. The village

has a basic school with around 400 pupils and

10 teachers, however due to the remote

location of the village and the poor availability

of adequate accommodation, the school has

had difficulty in keeping many of the teachers

that have been posted here.

In the last seven years thirteen teachers have been transferred to other

schools which has reduced contact time available for students and led to a

sharp decline in academic performance. The provision of a four bedroom

teacher’s accommodation block was therefore designed to improve the

retention rate of teachers at the school to help reduce absenteeism, increase

contact time and improve performance of students at the school.

Above: Scenes from the opening ceremony and the new accommodation block




Overall Status GOOD

Teachers are now

available for longer

periods of the day. As a

result student contact

hours have increased

and discipline within

the community has improved.


GHANA PROJECTS

Pokrom is a pineapple farming community

located in the Akuapem Municipality of the

Eastern Region of Ghana and has a population

of about 1800 people. Pokrom is home to

many pineapple suppliers to Blue Skies,

including some of the first to supply Blue Skies

when the company started operating in 1998.

The community has an old public place of

convenience which is in a bad condition and

located too far from people’s homes to be used, therefore there has been a

gradual increase in incidents of communicable disease over the years due to

poor sanitary conditions within the area.

This project was therefore to provide a new twelve seater KVIP for the people

of Pokrom in order to improve the health status of the community and reduce

incidents of communicable diseases.

Above: The KVIP at Pokrom shortly after its completion




Overall Status GOOD

There has been a 100%

reduction in cholera

and related diseases

since the project was

completed,. 60%

increase in knowledge

on communicable

disease within the community.


GHANA PROJECTS

Pakro is a farming community in the Nsawam-

Adoagyiri Municipality in the Eastern Region

of Ghana and is home to 1,700 people

including a number of suppliers to Blue Skies.

Pakro has an Anglican School which has over

700 pupils studying at both Primary and

Junior High levels. A few years ago the

school’s only toilet block collapsed leaving nowhere for people to go. In the

three years prior to this project reports on faecal related sickness increased

as well as malaria and other water borne diseases. During a recent cholera

outbreak in the country, this community recorded the second highest

infection rate with three deaths.

The objective of this project was therefore to construct a 10- seater KVIP

latrine for the school to improve the health status of the community, prevent

seasonal cholera and reduce communicable diseases. Work on the project

started in January 2015 and was completed by June in the same year.

Above: The new KVIP at Pakro School




Overall Status GOOD

Indiscriminate

defecation by students

has reduced by over

90%. Academic

performance has also increased.


GHANA PROJECTS

The Blue Skies Foundation first supported

the Nsawam Clinic in 2010 when it renovated

the medical training centre. As part of the

Foundation’s evaluation process, the Board

revisited the project in December 2014 and

met with the Director and staff at the project.

During the visit it became apparent that

there was an urgent need for a toilet facility for the clinic for use by staff and

patients as there was nowhere for people to go other than using facilities

across the street. The Board therefore agreed it would consider an

application by the clinic for a toilet block as long as it was screened and

approved by the Foundation Council according to the proper process. By

January 2015 the project had been approved by the Council and was given

the go ahead by the Board for work to start with immediate effect. It was

officially opened in June.

Above: Pictures of the new WC facility in various stages of development




Overall Status GOOD

Everybody is proud and

confident when at work.

Patient satisfaction and

staff confidence levels

have improved as a result of this project.


GHANA PROJECTS

Despite abundant natural resources and a growing

population, agriculture is in decline in Ghana. Farming is

perceived by the young as a ‘dead-end’ occupation for the

very poor and an unattractive proposition for bright,

ambitious job seekers. In addition there exists poor

infrastructure to support rural areas and enable

agricultural interests to maximise its potential. The value

of value-added agriculture has almost halved since 2005

when it was worth 41% of GDP to only 22% of GDP in 2014.

This is bad news for the Ghanaian food industry, exporters

and for Blue Skies and its customers who rely on Ghanaian

farmers for its supply of high quality, fresh fruit.

The ‘School Farm of the Year’ pilot competition was launched in Ghana in

2015. This is a project the Foundation started planning in 2014 as an extension

of our ‘Get Inspired’ campaign to inspire young people think about how they

as individuals can make a positive difference in the world.

The ‘School Farm of the Year’ Competition has been designed to encourage

students to get involved in setting up and managing a farm for their school, so

that they may learn about agriculture and its value in a competitive

environment.

The ‘school farm’ or ‘garden’ was once a common feature in schools in Ghana

and was a place where students would visit to learn about food and farming.

More recently however the school farm concept has declined and it is

reported that the only engagement students would have with agriculture was

to be sent to the local farm if they misbehaved!

The School Farm of the Year Competition is therefore intended to help to

reverse the negative image of agriculture among young people in Ghana to

foster the next generation of farmers.

Above: Students at participating in the School Farm Competition


SENEGAL PROJECTS

Notto Gouye Diama is a farming community

in the Thies region of Senegal with a

population of around 1,300 people including

some staff and suppliers of the neighbouring

Blue Skies pack house. One of the biggest

challenges within the community is the

management of waste as there is nowhere for

community members to dispose of their rubbish. The result is that mounds of

waste are left to build up on the streets and behind people’s homes, thereby

creating a serious risk to the health of local people leading to outbreaks of

diseases such as cholera during the wet seasons. An additional environmental

and health hazard is created from fumes when waste is burnt.

This project, the first for the Foundation in Senegal, was therefore intended to

clean-up the town by mobilizing volunteers within the community and

providing bins and equipment to enable the safe removal of waste from the

area. An important objective was to encourage a sense of responsibility and

volunteerism within the local community so that the project could be

replicated in the future, and to raise awareness of the Blue Skies Foundation

and how it might work together with community members to solve other

challenges. The project took place on 9th September 2015.

Above: The clean-up operation in progress at Notto Gouye Diama




Overall Status GOOD

Odours from

accumulated waste in

the area has reduced

drastically since this project took place.


S OUTH AFRICA PROJECTS

The aim of this project was to support this centre

for disabled children in Balfour by providing

learning resources (including computers, toys and

puzzles) and catering equipment (including a gas

stove and a chest freezer) to enable an enhanced

learning environment and to help the centre to

provide a feeding programme for the children.




Overall Status GOOD

The Zenzele Day Care Centre is located in the town

of Greylingstad in South Africa and has over 60 2 to

5 year old children and 7 staff. It is designed to

improve literacy levels among learners going in to

primary education.

The project involved the provision of a new ‘Jungle

Gym’ playground.




Overall Status GOOD

The Joy Day Care Centre is located in the

town of Grootvlei in South Africa and cares

for 84 children between the ages of 2 and 5

and has 4 members of staff. The centre

caters for needy children in the area and,

like the Zenzele project, is intended to

improve literacy among learners going in to

primary education. This project was to

provide play equipment for the Day Centre.




Overall Status GOOD


PAST PROJECTS REVISITED

Completed: 2014. Location: Juapong, Ghana Details: Construction of two classroom block for a Junior High School

Completed: 2014. Location: Yaw Duodu, Ghana Details: Accommodation for three teachers for a remote Junior High School

Completed: 2014. Location: Akraman, Ghana Details: Water system for papaya farming community in Ghana.

Completed: 2014. Location: Canaan, Ghana Details: Water system for a coconut farming community in Ghana.

Completed: 2014. Location: Somanya, Ghana Details: Water storage tanks for two schools in Ghana

Completed: 2014. Location: Sokpekope, Ghana Details: Construction of public toilet block for village in mango growing area

Completed: 2014. Location: Abortia Junction, Ghana Details: Construction of public toilet block for village in mango growing area

Completed: 2014. Location: Oboadaka, Ghana Details: Toilet block for a pineapple farming community

Completed: 2014. Location: Siyathemba, South Africa Details: Security fence for a crèche in the town of Siyathemba

Completed: 2014. Location: Balfour, South Africa Details: Renovation of a kitche for a primary school in South Africa

Completed: 2014. Location: Balfour, South Africa Details: Provision of seating for a waiting area at a clinic



Completed: 2013. Location: Yaw Krow, Ghana Details: Construction of public toilet block for village in papaya growing area

Completed: 2013. Location: Dobro, Ghana Details: Construction of a three classroom block for a primary school

Completed: 2013. Location: Krabo Krese, Ghana Details: Provision of two boreholes and handpumps for a papaya growing community.

Completed: 2013. Location: Nsakye, Ghana Details: Construction of public toilet block for village in pineapple growing area

Completed: 2013. Location: Balfour, South Africa Details: Playground and learning materials for two schools.

Completed: 2012. Location: Akotuakromm, Ghana Details: Construction of public toilet block for village in papaya growing area

Completed: 2012. Location: Nsawam, Ghana Details: Construction of public WC for a town in Ghana

Completed: 2012. Location: Balfour, South Africa Details: Renovation of WC blocks for primary school in South Africa

Completed: 2012. Location: Balfour, South Africa Details: Renovation of WC blocks for primary school in South Africa

Completed: 2012. Location: Somanya, Ghana Details: Construction of an agricultural training centre for farmers and students

Completed: 2011. Location: Abortia, Ghana Details: New classroom block construction for Primary School



Completed: 2011. Location: Nsawam, Ghana Details: New multi-use games area for Blue Skies and surrounding community

Completed: 2011. Location: Nsawam, Ghana Details: Renovation of medical training centre for a clinic

Completed: 2011. Location: Balfour, South Africa Details: Provision of computer equipment for I M Manchu Secondary School

Completed: 2011. Location: Greylingstad, South Africa Details: Provision of perimeter fence for Tegwan’s Nest Primary School

Completed: 2011. Location: Greylingstad, South Africa Details: Provision of computers for an orphanage

Completed: 2010. Location: Sekykrom, Ghana Details: Renovation of a Kindergarten and construction of a WC and Kitchen

Completed: 2010. Location: Fotobi, Ghana Details: New classroom block construction for Fotobi Junior High School

Completed: 2010. Location: Amanfrom, Ghana Details: Construction of compost toilet system for Amanfrom village

Completed: 2010. Location: Akraman, Ghana Details: Renovation of classroom block for Akraman Primary School

Completed: 2010. Location: Canaan Farm, Ghana Details: Provision of corn mill and construction of service centre for Canaan Farms

Completed: 2011. Location: Ekumfi Abor and Ekumfi Nanabin, Ghana Details: Mechanized water system for Abor and borehole and hand pump for Nanabin


The Blue Sky Foundation

PO Box C 3506, Accra, Ghana

www.blueskies.com/foundation

2015 Annual Report - Blue Skies

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