This college had already been provided with bunk beds through a GSA grant and at our September committee meeting we funded mattresses for them. We received a letter of appreciation from them and other officials.
Abonse JHS
The renovation work has been completed except for the painting.
Tibung DA Primary School
A grant had been given to repair the main roof and renovate the teachers’ quarters. The latter has two rooms, one of which is to be occupied by a Peace Corps volunteer. The work is now complete and looks good.
Voggu R.C JHS
This school has many challenges across its structures, including crumbling floors, broken windows and doors, and holes in the roofs. An update from them shows good work undertaken repairing the floors. More work will follow.
Lungbung D/A JHS
This school also had many building issues when they applied for a grant via Baako last year. He reports successful work, with before and after photos showing this. Our grant included funding for connection to the electricity network.
Kanvilli Tawfikiya JHS
The cost of an additional, third, classroom to an existing block was funded by us last year. It has now been completed.
Jisonayili M/A JHS
This large school had a desperate need for desks. Our grant provided 40 metal desks. Baako presented the desks and described to us his speech made to inspire the 80 pupils now seated.
Sorugu JHS
A small further grant towards a toilet block had been needed to rectify a mason’s underestimates. Baako visited and we have received photos of the completed block which features some beautiful tiling!
In the UK, Emily and two friends raised £375 at their school fair from the sale of hand-made jewelry. Baako found Zagyuri Kindergarten where the children lacked learning materials. The pictures show the joyful outcome.
Sampa Methodist Primary School
Grant given for desks for KG1 and KG2Excitement as the desks arrive!New Desks in UseKanvilli Tawfikiya JHS
Preparation for the classroom extension
Baako and the Management Team discussing the way forward.
1200 blocks have been moulded and other materials purchased.
Preparatory work at Kanvilli Tawfikiya JHSLungbung Gurugu JHS (Northern Region)Lungbung Gurugu JHS (Northern Region)
We have awarded new grants to:
Kumawu Technical Institute – £2000 for bunk beds; Zuarungu Moshie JHS – £2850 for classroom and office renovation and regravelling; Tibung DA Primary School £1500 for buildings renovation; Zugu Dagbone Technical Institute £1000; Sorugu JHS – £1500 for sanitation; Lungbung Gundaa Primary School – £3000 for classroom building.
At last, the Ken Strong washroom at Tamale School has been completed and is now in service. The pictures and texts speak for themselves.
Report from Baako to Ghana School Aid of the commissioning of the Ken Strong Girls Washroom at TAMASCO
It is a great pleasure for me to inform you that the Ken Strong Washroom built at Tamasco was successfully commissioned today. Both the teaching staff and the students especially the girls, thronged around the ultra-modern toilet facility built for them in memory of Ken Strong to witness the ceremony. Also present were the media personnel who covered the proceedings in both English and the local language (Dagbani) to broadcast on radio and television. The radio station present was Radio Tamale and two TV stations, they are the Sagani TV and the GTV.
After I delivered my speech and handed over the keys on behalf of the Strong family, to the Headmaster Rev Eddy Azeka, on his part expressed gratitude to the Strong family and the Ghana school Aid. He explained how lack of the washroom was a worry to the girls in the past and they had to be moving faraway to free themselves but now that they have this built for them will surely improve their well-being. He advised them on the proper way to use the facility- what to do and what not to do.
The Girls Prefect on behalf of her colleagues thanked the Ken Strong family and GSA and assured us that they will put the facility to good use and make sure they maintain it well.
On my part when asked what I have to tell the beneficiaries, I replied that I urge them keep the facility well for their own use and for the use of generation to come after they have completed and left.
A lot of photographs were taken and all the girls were happily rushing in with smiles when it came to moving in to inspect the facility.
In all it was very successful not only for Tamasco but also for the Ken Strong family and Ghana School Aid. It is my hope that Karola and Claire will derive pleasure from the successful completion of this great project for the target group.
We closed when it was a few minutes to midday.
THE OFFICIAL OPENING CEREMONY AND COMMISSIONINGOF THE KEN STRONG WASHROOM
My name is Alhassan Salifu Baako. I am the representative of Ghana School Aid in the north of Ghana.
I would like to tell you a bit about the history of this building.
Ken Strong, from the UK, was a teacher at this school in the 50’s and 60’s. During his five years here, he developed a deep love for the school and for Tamale.
His passion was to impart knowledge and skill to the young people he taught.
Ken died some years ago, but in 2019, his widow, Karola, and his daughter, Claire, gave a significant donation to Ghana School Aid to be used for the benefit of this school.
The headteacher at that time identified an urgent need for a girls’ washroom in this location.
Plans were drawn up, and builders were brought in.
There have been a number of hurdles on the way, but now we are looking at this excellent facility designed to improve the health, wellbeing and good spirits of the girls living at the school. The donors are very impressed by the photos they have seen and are delighted that the washroom is now completed.
Ghana School Aid wishes to thank all the people who have worked so hard to bring this project to fruition.In particular, the Headteacher, Rev. Eddy Azeka and his senior staff team, who have monitored the project and expedited the work as it progressed.
On behalf of Karola and Claire Strong and of Ghana School Aid, it gives me great pleasure to declare the Ken Strong Girls’ Washroom officially commissioned and open.
At our September committee meeting, secretary Jo Hallett showed us some of the pictures she had received showing projects newly completed, or in progress. Here they are, with an indication of what the project was. GSA is delighted to have helped make a big difference to children’s school experience.
This email message has reached us from Beatrice Darko, Headteacher. It shows well the type of project we support and its successful result. I will try to add one of the pictures sent.
Dear Jo,
My heart is filled with great joy to report to you and GSA photos showing the final completion of Owabi school toilet facilities renovation for both the Primary and kindergarten learners.
The importance of these two renovated toilet projects will offer a great help to the staff, the primary and the kg learners convenient place to toilet. At first, the toilet facilities always get flooded when it rains and it made the toilet usage to be very difficult by the staff and the learners. The kg toliets were more threatful to the learners.
But these problems are now solved now by GSA which the photos say it all. It has also given the school a nice look.
THANK YOU MESSAGE
On behalf of the staff, the learners, the SMC, PTA, the entire community and myself, we show a great gratitude to GSA for coming to our aid to renovate our primary and kg toilet facilities for us.
We are also greatful to Madam Jo who warmly received and processed our application to the board for decision making which led to our application approval.
We also thank Mr. Ohene for his tremendous effort to leading to the transfer and receiving of the grant even when the money was mistakenly transferred to different rural bank from Apex Bank. He stood behind us with the evidence documents to the receival of the money.
We say God richly bless all the members of GSA with divine protection over this harmful covid 19 pandemic.
Ayekooooo!!! to GSA.
ADDITIONAL REQUEST
Dear Jo, as Oliver Twist always ask for more, we humbly appeal to GSA to help build a new urinal facilities for the staff and the learners because the school has no urinal facilities for appropriate disposal of urine.
Because of the lack of urinal facilities the learners urinate indiscriminately and which makes it very difficult to control them and this can lead to an outbreak of diseases.
We again count on your great support to my school Owabi primary this our second pressing sanitation need as you welcome sanitation applications in October this year.
I try to post as many of the wonderful reports we get back from schools in receipt of grants from Ghana School Aid as I can. At the moment I would like to refer you to our excellent Newsletter 2020, which is available on this website. Here is a list of schools featured in the UPDATE ON PROJECTS section.
Esinianim District Assembly Primary School, Brong Ahafo; (Akim) Batabi Primary School, Eastern Region; Asunsu No 2 Roman Catholic Primary School, Brong Ahafo; Kwaboanta D/A JHS, Eastern Region; Kenyasi No 2 Methodist School, Brong Ahafo; Asanteman L/A Primary, JHS, Brong Ahafo; Aboabo L/A Basic School, Brong Ahafo; Suponso-Onomabo Basic School, (also referred to as Akim Anamabi), Birim Central District, Eastern Region; Assin Asamankese TI Ahmadiya Basic School, Boameso, Central Region; Techimantia TI Ahmadiya Basic School, Brong Ahafo; Asikaso D/A Basic School, Eastern Region; Yilonaayili Anglican Primary School, Northern Region; Tibung D/A JHS, Northern Region; Kenyasi No 1 RC Basic School, Brong Ahafo; Dumso-Bethel Primary School, Brong Ahafo; Kumosa M/A Primary School, Brong Ahafo.
That’s sixteen of the schools helped in the very recent past. Many are from Brong Ahafo. That is because many schools from Brong Ahafo applied to us, and were successful. We do, however, like to spread our grants right round the country.
Given that the next window for applications is in October, we only had some feedback documents and some follow-up requests to consider. The following is a summary of the discussion and I plan to add pictures at the end of the list.
Kpachelo E/A Primary School (Northern Region) wrote to thank us for a grant towards the replacement of the KG block; Asin-Asamankese T.I. Ahmadiya Basic School (Central Region) had sent pictures of KG furniture purchased with their grant; Dokiyikrom D/A Basic School, Brong-Ahafo was made a supplementary grant for building materials; Techimantia R.I. Ahmadiya Basic School, Brong-Ahafo was awarded an additional grant towards doors and windows for their new building; Sumaman SHS is being helped to obtain laboratory equipment; Kanvilli-Tawfikiya JHS (Northern Region) had sent pictures of ongoing construction of a classroom block; Yiloaayili Anglican Primary School (Northern Region) had also sent pictures; Tibung JHS (Northern Region) sent pictures of Teachers’ Quarters under construction; King’s Academy (Eastern Region) is working on a new classroom block; Asikaso D/A Basic School (Eastern Region) reported on the purchase of furniture and was awarded an additional grant for more furniture; Kenyasi No 1 RC Basic School, Brong-Ahafo sent pictures of roofing and furniture; Dumso-Bethel Primary School, Brong-Ahafo also sent pictures of furniture; Komoso M/A Primary School, Brong-Ahafo had spent their grant on furniture.
GSA sent a grant to complete teachers’ quarters. Here are extracts from the letter dated 19 October 2018 from the Headteacher.
“I write to your high esteem organisation Ghana School Aid to show our appreciation for the support given us to complete our school teachers’ quarters. Through your able representative Mr. Alhassan Salifu Baako, we had this wonderful support. The teachers’ quarters were built by the collaborative effort of both teachers and parents, but we were not able to complete them. But with your generous support, the project has now been completed. Teachers no more travel long distances to school to teach, which has reduced their stress and lateness […] and teaching and learning in the school are now very effective. […] We pray for all the best for GSA, may it be strengthened to the highest height.
GSA sent a grant to complete the teachers’ quarters. Here are extracts from the Headteacher’s letter of thanks, dated 28 August 2018.
“The entire Gurugu community, staff and pupils wish to express their profound gratitude for your immense support towards their Teachers’ Quarters Project. The project was started in 2015 by the community members, and was stalled due to inadequate funds for its completion. This adversely affected teacher attendance, since the majority of teachers commute from Tamale to Gurugu. Your timely intervention has improved teacher attendance to 80% as compared to previous attendance. [… This has resulted in a] 60% increase in pupil enrollment. We will not relent on our efforts to say thank you.”
Ghana School Aid 