You Are 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 190,000 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, the students of the Hodzo-Ve M.A. Primary School were attending classes in unsafe thatched structures, which could have fallen down in a storm. These provisional school buildings lacked windows, doors, proper desks and chairs for the students to use. This exposure to the elements, paired with the lack of formal spaces for learning, hindered student engagement and development. Additionally, overcrowding was a big issue. The few small structures were a learning space for dozens of kids in grades K-6. Despite the conditions, students were eager to learn and the new school is sure to have a dramatic impact on their livelihoods.
Your Impact with a New PoP School
Thanks to your support, PoP was able to partner with the Hodzo-Ve community to break ground on a 3-classroom school. The community remained engaged in the project, contributing to the construction of the school and providing support throughout the entire build process. In addition to the outer structure, through your support, every classroom in the Hodzo-Ve M.A. Primary School will be outfitted with desks and chairs, further ensuring that student development and engagement increases.