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 122 communities in Ghana to ensure that students overcome these and other barriers to accessing a quality education. To date, PoP has impacted over 24,000 students 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 125 schools in the Volta Region and have also provided our teacher training and educational programming to many PoP schools in the region.
Before a PoP School Build
Previously, primary school students of Bakpa Avedo Preschool and Primary School were taught in a six-classroom pavilion provided by the government. Construction on the pavilion was never actually completed by the government, so all of Bakpa Avedo’s students had been attending classes while exposed to the elements, outside distractions and noise from neighboring lessons. In addition, the previous structure lacked formal doors and windows and had no electricity, further hindering student engagement and learning during lessons.
Your Impact with a New PoP School
Thanks to your support, PoP was able to partner with the Bakpa Avedo community to complete construction on a new primary school for its students. This new six-classroom school provides formal learning spaces which include constructed walls and floors, student furniture and proper doors and windows. The partnership with the Bakpa Avedo community is especially exciting because the community committed to providing up to 20% of the resources and materials needed to complete the project. The dedication that the entire community has to its students’ education shows that the impact you’re creating in Bakpa Avedo will be long-lasting.