Today was the day to pay the taxes for the Child Center. Since we had been away for a few days and the internet was not working well in the Hotel, Steve had not had time to get all the information entered into the computer and uploaded to the GRA website. (Ghana Revenue Authority) (similar to IRS). Once he enters everything and fills all the pages it will generate a bill which then has to be taken to the bank and paid into GRA’s account. There are 3 sets of taxes to pay; the taxes on the employees, for both GRA and Social Security and the Withholding tax. It took him most of the morning to finish the taxes. Mr. Iddrisu took the bills to the bank this afternoon and paid them. They can’t give him a receipt for the workers’ taxes because we paid with a check and they have to wait for the check to clear before they can give us a receipt; isn’t that silly?
This afternoon Steve worked on the documents for the bank; every so often they audit their accounts and ask us to resend the same stuff we have sent them dozens of times. They wanted copies of all for signers’ Ghana Cards, proof of addresses, certificates for the Child Center (Social Welfare certificate) and a copy of the Child Center’s audited accounts. Please! We are seriously tired of all the paperwork!
Donkey did not come to work today because today is the first day of the Damba festival. Yesterday was the day that the men sat around and picked the stones out of the rice in preparation for the festival. This is considered the first Damba festival when they meet and greet the festival and in a week’s time they will have the final Damba festival where they “Bye-Bye” the Damba until next year. I asked Mr. Iddrisu if he was going to the palace to celebrate the festival; they drum and dance and slaughter a cow. He said that he was not going to go. Donkey is more or less required to go because he is a small sub chief and it would be disrespectful not to attend.
Amama was late for work because she had to visit the funeral house of one of her friends; Zorash was late too because she had to stop and get gas in her motorcycle before she could come.
Timothy is in the process of trying to improve the appearance and enlarge his sewing shop. He desperately wants the Tailor’s association to choose him and his facility to license. If he gets licensed, they will send more apprentices to him and he will be able to receive some of the benefits that come with the licensing. Maybe he will succeed.
Thank you for the love, prayers and support.
In HIS Service,
Steve, Kandie and Skeeter
P.S. Please keep my Aunt Daris (my Dad Royce’s sister) in your prayers. She took a fall and had a few seizures; she has been in the hospital but is now in a place that I think is sort of like a rehab center. I know she would appreciate your prayers.
The Monkeyshines
The parents always bring me a gift or two when they come back from a trip. I know that they are trying to soothe their own conscience after leaving me all alone! This time they brought a very strange leash / run thing. It has a long cable that is hooked onto a big long screw thing that can be screwed into the ground anywhere in the yard. I love, love it! I loved the first place Mom put it more than the second place. From the first place I could reach Mr. Iddrisu; he was painting on the veranda of the Child Center! I was having the best time jumping at him and trying to grab his brush! Then Mr. Iddrisu had to spoil all my fun! He reported me to Mom; he said that I was trying to turn over his paint bucket and cause problems for him! Really! What a rat fink! Trying to get me in trouble! Because of Mr. Iddrisu’s whining Mom moved the leash /run to another area of the yard! I could not reach Mr. Iddrisu anymore! I hope he is happy now! Tattle tale! I wonder if that word is spelled “Tattle Tail” or “Tattle Tale”? I must be grammatically correct! Or my brother Jordan will think I am uneducated!
Snitches get Stitches (anyway ,that’s what my sister Lindsay says)
Love, Skeeter
