Now this is exciting!!
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New scholarship students at Apewosika Village School. The school was operating under capacity, with about 60 students and now has about 110. They look a little solemn---probably the first time they've seen a camera or had their photo taken!
(Photo taken by Ussif Zakari, WHH Manager-in-Training) |
Remember how in our 2011 Update Letter we
set a goal for 2012 to provide scholarships to families with primary school
children in the Apewosika neighborhood in Axim?
Well, we are overjoyed to tell you that dream has been fully realized! Yes, the little Apewosika School now has about 50 more students joining the 60 or so already enrolled and is FILLED TO CAPACITY!
Our experience in Ghana suggests
to us that primary school is still unattainable by many families, and
is one of the best investments we can make. Without primary school, what future can there be?
Several members of the Western Heritage Home Board
interviewed Apewosika families, selecting 50 children. They focused especially on
families where parents had managed to send their children to school for the
first year(s) of primary school, so their children could acquire basic reading,
writing, and math, but had to withdraw their older children to give younger
siblings their turn at school. We especially want to help those children finish
primary school.
Somehow with the help of the WHH Board, parents, and
some generous Axim community members, uniforms, underwear, shoes, exercise books,
and pencils were procured. Ghana Together provided tuition of about $25 per student
for the first term of the 2012-2013 school year. Any student who successfully
finishes the first term and who shows steady attendance will be funded for
subsequent terms as needed until he or she finishes primary school.
We were told that the students were so excited, they started attending school even last spring, long before the current term which started in Sept. Uniform or not---they were going to SCHOOL--- the dream of every Ghanaian child (and parent).
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| Apewosika Village Fishing Canoes |
We have visited the small fishing community several
times, noting that many children are playing on the ocean beach during school
hours. We learned this is the poorest neighborhood in Axim. Fish are becoming
harder to find; their old canoes are not in good condition and more seaworthy ones
are beyond their reach economically. Parents in Apewosika realize their
children’s futures cannot depend on fishing and want to send their children to school.
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| With the help of WHH Board Chair James Kainyiah, we interviewed this Mom in Feb 2012, who begged us to help her send her children to school and gave her permission for us to use her photo for this project. Their Dad also talked with us about how he wanted his children to attend school. |
The school was founded by Mrs. Ackah, a dedicated Ghanaian teacher
who at the end of her life wanted to help this poorest of communities. The school is a private school and has to
collect some tuition to pay its teachers. That is beyond many families, but the
school is the only one within reasonable walking distance for these children. Maybe someday it will be absorbed as a “government
school” but until then we will try to fill its classrooms with children every
term!
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| Headmaster and Teacher Mr. David Ackah, son of the Founder. David trained as an engineer, but decided to teach instead. Notice the few students in this classroom, in Feb 2012. Now it's full to capacity! |
Sometimes things just work
out! We especially thank Maureen Kainyiah and James Kainyiah, WHH Board
members, and also Zak, for their tenacity in interviewing. We thank Ms. Mercy
Ackah, daughter of the Founder, and also Mr. David Ackah, the Headmaster, for arranging
for additional teachers, organizing the school itself physically to accept
students, and for basically putting this project over the top. Without their local leadership and dedication, this would not have been possible.
And we thank you, generous friends!
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