Category Archives: Projects

Plato Academy, Bolgatanga

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This school was previously known as “Firm Foundation”. (You can read earlier posts on this website by clicking on the firm-foundations tag.) Following a presentation by Dr. Anafu at our 2014 AGM, a grant of £1400 was sent for work on the building.  Jo Hallett visited this privately-run primary school in June 2016 and received a very warm welcome.  It is situated in the middle of many other buildings on the edge of Bolgatanga.  Seven or eight classes are based in ground floor rooms, in reasonable repair.  The classes were very well ordered and clearly good teaching was going on.  Jo was impressed at the level of the pupils’ reading ability.  The GSA grant to renovate the building was much appreciated and had been put to good use.  The school is now constructing a second floor but progress is slow

.20160623_152141-1 Work on the second floorimg008-2 Break time!

20160623_150152-1 Children in class

20160623_150659-1Children in class

Zawiyatul Irfan Primary and Jonshegu Junior High School

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These schools lacked furniture.  The pictures show Zawiyatul which has 158 pupils, and Jonshegu which has 90 pupils but had only 20 dual desks.  The Headteachers Mr. Issah and Mr. Iddrisu requested help in purchasing more desks.  Our representative in Tamale, Salifu Baaku, visited the schools and supported their requests. They suggested hard-wearing metal desks.  GSA sent a grant of £870 for the construction of 50 dual desks.  The pictures show the situation before the desks were delivered.  We await a report on how the pupils get on with them as sitting on metal in a hot climate would not be everybody’s cup of tea!

zawiatu-1    Zawiyatul children on benches

Zawiyatul   zawiatu-4

jonshegu-photo1  Big boys, 3 to a desk, Jonshegu

img_6275The new desks

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UPDATE  February 2017  Flush with the success of the metal desks, we have agreed a further grant of £600 for the provision of teachers’ tables and chairs and cupboards for storage.

UPDATE  May 2017  Here is an extract from a letter received in April from Headteacher Sumani Issah: The school initially faced with furniture challenges which your good organization solved for us.  As Oliver Twist asks for more, we tendered in an application for teachers’ tables and chairs as well as school cupboards.  Your good organization gave us ten tables and chairs and 6 cupboards. … 

Thanks and blessings followed (ed).  And we have some pictures:

Let’s read

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Jo Hallett writes:  Let’s Read is now working with over 30 schools in the Paga West District, in partnership with Afrikids.  Only 13% of pupils reach the expected levels in reading and writing after 6 years of schooling.

We have introduced a structured phonics scheme, with a wide range of resources, regular workshops for teachers, and on-going support from local educational advisors. There has been a significant improvement in many of the schools that have been involved for the past three years.

Most of the classes at ATIORUM PRIMARY SCHOOL are taught “under the tree”.  The teachers do their best.  I observed a class of about 30 P1 children squashed on to a mat by a tree.  The children were fidgety and the only teaching aid was a rough piece of board propped up against the tree.  See picture in a previous post. When the wind blew, the children hid their faces from the sand, and the board fell to the ground!  GSA provided a grant of £964 to buy 3 blackboards and 45 metal-framed desks.

KUMBUSINGO PRIMARY SCHOOL received a grant of £550 for 20 desks for their P1 class.  The picture shows what it’s like to study with no desks

writing-on-the-floor-is-not-easy.

 

 

New Bethlehem Academy, Darkuman, Accra

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This is a private school in a struggling community, serving the needs of disadvantaged children.  Fees are kept to a minimum.  A grant of £1000 was agreed in 2016 for general refurbishment.  Here are extracts from the letter of appreciation we  received from Jacob Nortey.                                   “Dear Friends, … I write to express the profound appreciation of the pupils, teachers and staff to you and your group members for the enormous financial lift you have provided the school for its facelift programme. …         Your help of 5020 Ghana Cedis will help the Academy to carry out repairs and upgrade the Computer Laboratory, the Kitchen, and the Approach to the school.  It will also help in providing additional play equipment for the KG section.  We shall provide you with a comprehensive accounting of the use of the funds.                                                                                              Please accept our sincere thanks for the help.  We are ready to cooperate with you in accomplishing some of your plans and projects in this part of the world.  Our doors are open for a visit of any of your members and their wards.  May God richly bless and keep you all.”

UPDATE  May 2017  We have received a very full report of how the GSA grant was spent, viz:  2 gas stoves, 1 gas cylinder, new kitchen gate, new floors, new roof;  2 dining tables, plates, spoons etc; canopy;  library shelves, library books, printers- repairs & supplies; musical instruments; polytank and stands;  new signage and wall painting.  The report also states that the school year started with 96 students and  in February enrolment stood at 143 students.  Quote:  The improved front approach and the introduction of new equipment have all combined to assure the community of a viable and progressive institution.  …THANKS A MILLION

Takpo Senior High School, Upper West Region

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We received a detailed application from Isaiah Tiennah for help towards the Mechanization of the School Water System, “A project to mechanize a borehole in the school to supply water to the Takpo Cluster of Schools with a population of over 650 students and teachers. […] At present, students have to spend several hours in search of water during contact hours. […] With potable water available, the school can apply for boarding status (and thus qualify for a government grant -ed.). We would have met the criteria of connecting electricity and water to the school…  When the school becomes a boarding school it will open employment opportunities for the local community as well.”  GSA sent £1500 for this project.  The money has been received and the work is on-going.

UPDATE May 2017  Mr Tiennah writes:  … Unfortunately the school borehole, after testing of the water showed very poor yield, after pumping for just an hour the well dried up…. The PTA decided to use the remaining amount to renovate and refurbish a classroom to become a computer laboratory for an E-learning project.  Injury from a motor accident has prevented Mr. Tiennah from sending a full report, but this will come in due course.  We wish him a speedy recovery.

Krakrom Primary School, Ashanti Region

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An application was received from Osofo Bonzy who now lives in Germany.  He is sponsoring the rebuilding of the school he used to teach in, which had reached roof level, but was stuck due to lack of funds.  We asked our representative, Baako, to visit the site and, on his good report, we sent £500 initially, then a further £750.  The first picture shows the roofless building.

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Sorugu D/A, Junior High School, Tamale

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The application came via our Northern representative, Baako.  This school needed funds to help renovate a 3-classroom block.  We received a detailed estimate of costs for the materials, and we learned that the community would provide the labour.  We sent £470 and have since received a beautiful letter of appreciation from the Headteacher, Mohammed Seini.  I quote:  “The head, staff and pupils of Sorugu D/A JHS wish to express their profound gratitude to GSA for the assistance extended to us when our school was in a serious deplorable condition and needed urgent and serious renovation. […] With this said amount, the necessary materials were purchased for the project.  The PTA, teachers, and all, contributed in diverse ways to bring the project into reality.  Mr. Baako (the Coordinator) paid regular visits to the school to see to the progress of the work and the use of materials.  […]  Also, the PTA and community assisted with labour and food for the workers.  Yes, of course, if anybody would complain of not having an office, it is certainly not Sorugu D/A JHS, since that problem has been completely solved.  We now have a beautiful school block and an office to keep our things safely.”

sorugu-before-renovation-2  The building before renovation.

2015-09-10-12-42-11-1  The opening ceremony – the placards read “We love you GSA!!”

school-building-after-painting-2  The renovated building.

 

 

 

 

Kanvilli Tawfikya Junior High and Primary School

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This school is in the Northern Region.  It is the school in which Baako, the GSA representative, works.  Baako writes:

“Generally, there is a high level of poverty and illiteracy in the Northern Region.  The majority of the people here are peasant farmers who only do manual farming to feed their families and this can be a problem since they can only harvest once in the year and lack resources for the education of their children.  Most of the children have to walk quite a distance to school, a few lucky ones ride bicycles, while others board “tricycles” (see picture below).  Some children also do their best to supplement the family income by engaging in petty trading in the evenings, and we do have absenteeism due to children out earning for the family.  The school itself needs support to buy desks for the children – you can see some sitting on the floor in the picture below.”  In 2015 GSA sent £800 for the purchase of 80 desks. These are now ready for use (see picture).  We are very grateful to two teachers in Lincoln who raised over £300 which went towards this project.

kanvilli floorB

kanvilli desks

kanvilli tricycle

kanvilli playground

Kanvilli pupils in their playground

UPDATE March 2018             We sent a grant to install metal windows and shutters.  The picture below shows the result, and we received a very appreciative letter of thanks from the Head teacher.

The Junior High has, with our help, started to build a new classroom block.  The picture below (February 2018) shows they have reached roof level.  Thank you, Baako, for reporting back on these projects.

 

 

Vakpo, Volta Region

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This is a rural community with 8 separate schools.  In conjunction with a local charity supporting orphans of HIV/AIDS victims and destitute children, the community embarked on the construction of a children’s library.  GSA voted £750 to this project in 2013-14.

Mother of Mercy Primary School, UER

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The school applied for funds to repair the roof of a classroom block, and paint walls.  Year 9 pupils of Barnard Castle School, County Durham (independent, co-educational and boarding) were sponsored to learn the names of countries in Africa and donated £300 to GSA, and GSA added £200.  Thank you so much, Barnard Castle School!  GSA Hon Sec Jo Hallett was able to visit Mother of Mercy School recently (as an active member of the Let’s Read programme) and she reports that the school has been fully repainted and an outbuilding roof replaced. Jo was presented with a live guinea fowl by the delighted teachers!