Ghana Together News Updates: "Meat and potatoes" at AGSHS

Our last News Update was so satisfying for us---Graduations! Missions accomplished! Young people launching the next phase of their lives!

This one is more prosaic…but we want to share it anyway because it’s just so great in its own way…J

First a bit of background:

In 2009. Axim started its Axim Girls Senior High School with 23 students, after years of work and the support of Chief Awulae, Member of Parliament Catherine Afeku, Founding Headmistress Mrs. Bonku, businessman and Western Heritage Home Chairman James Kainyiah, and so many other local leaders. As Chief Awulae said so many times:

“Educate a woman and you educate a family.”

AGSHS became “certified” as an accredited senior high in 2012. We published a News Update about it back then: http://ghanatogether.blogspot.com/2012/05/axim-ghana-all-girls-senior-high-school.html.

We’ve helped the school a bit over the years---some science resources, scientific calculators, “Science News” magazines, internet-in-a-boxes, a few scholarships, renovated a building to be an assembly/dining/meeting hall, and repaired the damaged school bus. The Tullow Oil Company came through with 2 classroom buildings, a 200-bed dormitory, and two computer labs.

By September of 2016, the Axim Girls Senior High School had 88 new first-year students. Each student paid hefty fees for tuition, books, lab fees, supplies, and room and board….beyond most families economically…especially for daughters.

Then…WHAT A CHANGE! The newly-elected Ghanaian government implemented the long-held national dream/promise to focus on education—for sons AND daughters. It started funding “free” academic senior high school for newly incoming freshman---even including room and board if needed.

What a change! AGSHS had 210 new first-year incoming students in September 2017!

The “free” SHS has now extended to all three years. So, when Maryanne Ward visited the school in May 2018, there were just over 350 students in the entire school. More than 500 are expected in September 2018! We are hoping/praying that Ghana can somehow keep this all going…not easy.

What a challenge for Principal Madame Theodora Appiah and her staff! To go from 23 students to more than 500 in not quite 10 years!

When Maryanne asked what she needed, Madame smiled.

---How about a new dorm for 500 girls? Completely furnished! And yes, with modern toilets, showers… and please throw in a completely reliable source of water!

---Always-on electricity would certainly be welcome!

---And, oh, could you throw in a complete, fully-equipped science lab so the girls don’t have to take the bus to Nsein Senior High School, a half-hour ride each way at least, way over in the next town, for once-in-a-while physics and chemistry labs…since, of course (!), they are deeply into “STEM”--- teaching those girls science and technology and math...

--- and, oh, for sure…we need an assembly/dining hall that’s at least 3 times as big…and…

Well, all that was a bit beyond our bank account, but we did settle on Mrs. Appiah’s TOP PRIORITY…a...PHOTOCOPIER/PRINTING MACHINE.

Yes! That we could manage, so...our Ghanaian Western Heritage Home Operations Manager Evans Arloo traveled to some schools to check on their machines, and to the city of Takoradi, and here we are...in time for the September start of the 2018-2019 school year!