2025
When Peace Home’s land was first purchased, the boundary had to be established. In Ghana, that’s usually the very first thing you do: mark out your perimeter. Then you can get to work on everything within it.
That process began at the end of 2019 with a bamboo fence — which didn’t last very long. Our budget was tight at the time, with most of it going towards the first building. The bamboo kept falling over and eventually broke beyond repair. We weren’t too worried though, because we knew that building the day-centre would mean heavy machines and trucks coming onto the land, which would have destroyed any fence anyway. So we waited.
In the meantime, our gardener (with a little help from the dogs) spent a lot of time fending off chickens and goats that had developed a fondness for our vegetable garden and our crops.
Some time after the day-centre was completed, we received a donation to build a proper fence. The funds stretched to a solid foundation with hardwood posts, with a simpler finish on top — thick fishing net stretched between the posts. It suited the surroundings beautifully. We’re located in a fishing village, and the green of the net blended right in with the tropical landscape. As a bonus, it gave our passion fruit the perfect structure to climb along the full length of the fence. If you didn’t know — passion fruit is a vine. A very productive one.
We always knew the net wouldn’t last forever. A tropical climate by the ocean is tough on materials. So last year, when we received funds to upgrade the fence again, we went for something truly lasting: hardwood planks throughout.
It was a significant job. All the wood had to be cut and shaped on site — there are no big factories nearby and not many of them in Ghana in general. Most of it is done by hand, with a handsaw, by skilled local artisans. It takes time, effort, and a lot of teamwork. But that’s also part of what we love about it.
The pictures speak for themselves. We’re really happy with how it turned out, and we think it looks beautiful. There’s something special about working with natural materials, and about doing things the slow, careful way with the people around you.
Peace Home is now properly secured — for the long term this time.
No more escaping dogs. No more uninvited goats.
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