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 the PoP School Build
Previously, students of Aflao-Agblekpui were taught outdoors, underneath a tree. The open-air layout exposed students to dust, debris and distractions such as noise from the school courtyard and surrounding environment. Although students were beneath the shade of the tree, the heat from the sun still proved uncomfortable on many days. Furthermore, when it rained, students would be forced to retreat into an overcrowded, provisional structure that lacked formal doors and windows. These conditions made it difficult for students to focus and learn.
Your Impact with the New PoP School
APN Consulting Inc recognized and responded to the needs of the Aflao-Agblekpui community and their children, helping us build a 3-classroom school equipped with ceiling fans, blackboards, benches, desks, doors, walls and windows. Aflao-Agblekpui 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 will provide hundreds of students access to a strong school foundation and a higher quality learning environment that will continue to benefit them for years to come.