You’re Making a Difference Here
GHANA
Ghana was, until very recently, one of the poorest countries in the world. Over the past few years, the nation has experienced unprecedented growth and development (IFAD report; African Development Bank). Although the lives of Ghanaians have improved greatly, the country still faces many challenges, especially in the education sector.
In Ghana, 18% of primary school age children are not enrolled in school and of those who are in school, 28% will drop out before completing primary school (UNESCO, 2012). Additionally, over 28% of the Ghanaian population is illiterate and out of all the current primary school classrooms, the government estimates that almost a quarter need repairs (World Bank, 2014; USAID, 2009).
PoP works with 107 communities in Ghana to ensure that students overcome these and other barriers to accessing a quality education. To date, PoP has impacted over 178,000 lives in Ghana.
VOLTA REGION
The Volta region is located in southeastern Ghana, to the west of the Republic of Togo and just east of Lake Volta. In many of our partner communities in the region, PoP couples school builds with literacy programming in order to create sustainable change.
To date, we’ve built 98 schools in the Volta region and will continue to scale our teacher training and educational programming across PoP schools in the region.
Before a PoP School Build
Previously, students of Sokpoe-Hakpodzi were attending classes in provisional structures. One was an abandoned piggery made of mud and wood, while the remaining two were makeshift structures made of wood, thatch and corrugated metal sheets. These facilities were dilapidated and hazardous to students’ safety and well-being. Furthermore, they lacked formal windows, doors and floors, which caused dirt, dust, debris and other distractions from the outside to enter and permeate classrooms. When it rained, water would soak the ground, causing muddy and messy conditions. As a result, students had difficulty concentrating and learning.
Your Impact with a New PoP School
You recognized and responded to the needs of the Sokpoe-Hakpodzi community and their children. Your invaluable support and commitment helped us build a 6-classroom school equipped with ceiling fans, blackboards, benches, desks, doors, walls and windows. Sokpoe-Hakpodzi community members supported the project from the very beginning and volunteered to work alongside the PoP team to construct the school, contributing at least 20 percent of labor and materials. Our group efforts are providing hundreds of students with access to a strong school foundation and a higher quality learning environment that will continue to benefit them for years to come.
