Elena Robertson Returns to Axim

Elena Robertson (taken at Axim Beach in June, 2012)

If you click down to our news items of Sept 12, 2008, you’ll see an article entitled “Bellingham Teen Returns from Literacy Project at WHH Children’s Home in Axim, Ghana.” Elena Robertson was about to enter her senior year of high school, and she and her Dad, Doug, hatched the mother of all “senior projects” by traveling to Axim, Ghana and working with orphaned children sheltered, at that time, by Western Heritage Home in their facility now known as the Heritage Community Learning Center. 

Fast forward to spring of 2012. Elena has just completed her second visit to Axim. Much has changed. The orphaned children have all been transitioned into kinship or foster homes. Every one of them can read and write and some are at the top of their classes. Two are actually in high school! But Axim hadn’t forgotten Elena and Elena hadn’t forgotten Axim! Axim was delighted to welcome her back.

Here is her account of her visit...

My name is Elena Robertson and I am a senior Diplomacy and World Affairs major at Occidental College in Los Angeles, California. I received a John Parke Young Fund Research Fellowship through my department to conduct an independent research project on the UN Millennium Development Goals (UNMDG) in Axim and so, between May and June of this year, embarked on my own to Ghana.

My primary goals were to understand the progress that has been made towards accomplishing the UNMDGs—that encompass everything from ending malnutrition; reducing infant and mother mortality rates; universal primary education and gender equity in education; and providing affordable technology to all—in a non-urban area of one of Africa’s most stable and most rapidly growing countries, economically.

I spent the majority of my time walking around Axim and talking with people about their lives and that gave me a sense of the areas which have developed the most and which have developed the least.

While "walking around", Elena found time to help out with the story hours in the Axim Public Library. Ghana Together has been instrumental in improving the library since Elena's initial visit in 2008. Elena is the "obroni" there, way in the back!

Through my work, I concluded that nutrition; economic opportunity; and quality of education are the areas I am most concerned with.  The people of Axim simply do not consume enough protein or vitamins, and their overconsumption of cassava may be a major factor in their health problems. As several people told me in Axim, cassava can contribute to blindness or deafness which, I discovered, is due to its (naturally occurring) dangerously high levels of cyanide. If cassava is not prepared correctly, cyanide remains in the starch and is consumed.

In most of my conversations, people emphasized how much they would like to leave Axim or get a good job but that there was simply no way to do so.  While I do not have any theories of how to improve the economic condition of Axim as of yet, I will be working on developing some ideas throughout my last year at Occidental.

It was not, however, all bad news. The general health of the East Nzema District has improved dramatically within the last 10 years—maternal and infant deaths in Axim’s hospital have dropped by nearly 90%! People had very positive things to say about how the government was helping them and the good ways their community has changed in recent years.

I will be continuing to work with this information until my graduation in May, and am currently in the midst of applying for a Fulbright research grant to travel back to Ghana for ten months and expand my research project to look at the Northern regions.

Elena with teaching staff at the new Axim All-Girls High School

Ghana Together coordinated with Western Heritage Home, our partner organization in Axim to facilitate both Elena's 2008 and 2012 visits.

In 2008, we also arranged for some pre-trip mentoring by Barbara Gilday, who was on our Board at the time and had extensive Ghana experience, and Bonnie Olpin, a retired Skagit County Washington elementary school teacher. Bonnie introduced the famous "wallpaper" books, which at least one Axim girl has carefully kept in her possession all these years!

The children hadn’t been living in the Children’s Home long at that time, and had almost no literacy. Elena gave them an initial boost. You can imagine how exciting it was for them to have this “nice obroni” (white lady) living with them for several weeks! Probably their first experience with such an exotic creature!

Elena in 2008, teaching reading to orphaned children in the Western Heritage Children's Home

Go to Ghana Together Website to Learn More...

Axim, Ghana All-Girls Senior High School Absorbed into Ghana Education System

Nearly seven years ago, when we first began working in Axim, we heard the dreams of local leaders about establishing a new “all-girls high school.” 

In the last few days, we have been informed that the new Axim All-Girls Senior High School, started by local Axim leaders as a "town project" in 2009, has now been fully absorbed into the Ghana Education System. This means it’s a fully-recognized high school, with graduates accredited by the GES, teachers hired and paid by the government of Ghana, and the national curriculum the same as for other established high schools in Ghana. Student test scores will be fully accepted.

All the Axim All-Girls High School Students - Feb 2012

A new public high school building is in the making on land donated by the Catholic Church under the leadership of Fr. Paul Awuah, a dedicated community leader. The school is currently meeting in another of the church-owned schools. An oil company operating in Ghana has indicated interest in building a new hostel, so girls from other areas or beyond walking distance can attend.

Starting Construction of New Girls High School

This is a momentous achievement especially for Mrs. Bonku, who, as the Founding Headmistress, took on the major responsibility of starting a new high school from scratch! She is a dedicated educational leader, starting as a JHS vocational teacher, moving into HR administration for the Nzema-Axim District, and currently serving as Founding Headmistress charged with starting a new high school.

Other leaders who somehow found funding and the political support, both at the local and national levels, include Awulae Attibruskusu, Paramount Chief; Ana “Esi” Biney, District Assembly Woman and Chair of the local committee; James Kainyiah, Development Chief and businessman; Isaac Bentil, local community leader and businessman; and many others.

On right, Mrs. Bonku, Founding Headmistress of Axim All-Girls High School (with Maryanne Ward of Ghana Together)

Chief Awulae set the theme of the September 2011 Kundum Festival as “Girls Education”. The Vice-President of Ghana came to Axim to voice his support. Those of our readers who met Awulae in Washington State summer 2011 probably remember his remarks about his determination to improve girls education.

Chief Awulae Attibrukusu, Axim's modern, tech-savvy traditional Chief, sending emails from the Ward home in the US back to his assistant in Axim. Girls: your Chief is your role model!!

The teachers also must be acknowledged, because each took a career gamble by joining the effort with no guarantee of future success. Catherine Afeku, Member of Parliament, showed strong support.

This has been entirely a locally-conceived project, with years of working to find funding and political support on the part of local leaders. Ghana Together has not been directly involved in this project. Mostly, we just bring scientific calculators (a scarce and precious learning tool in Ghana!) and encouragement.

When Maryanne Ward was in Axim in Feb, 2012, she helped arrange a visit to Axim by the Admissions Officers of Ashesi University, organized on the US model of higher education. They met with the Axim Girls HS and other students in the area--the first such recruiting type visit by any university to Nzema East District!

You might well ask: Why is an “all-girls” high school needed in Axim?

First, there is no other government high school in the town of maybe 15-20,000 souls. Nsein High School, the nearest, is some distance. Girl education is a top priority in Ghana. The 2003 Population Census for the Nzema East District showed only 7.6% females of 6+ years had finished high school. About 1.9% had tertiary education. Adult literacy for females 15+ years was 44%. Of females 6+ years, 64% had never attended school. Currently in Axim, among primary students, there are about the same number of boys and girls enrolled, so they are making good progress.

Study hard, girls---who knows what your futures could hold!!

Since many of the leaders involved in this project are the very same people we of Ghana Together have been working with for going on seven years now, you can understand how as friends we share their pride!!

JHS Science Takes Off

We reported in previous posts on the creation of the new JHS Science Resource Center housed at the Western Heritage Community Learning Center, right there in Axim. It was our number one priority project in 2011. It's housed in the same building we helped build some years ago, but re-purposed from a Children's Home to a more educationally-oriented focus as local needs have changed.

We just received the first full-term report on the use of the Center from Eric (Jimpetey Djan) Jim, the JHS Science Center Supervisor and a master teacher.

We are so delighted to report that students from 9 different junior high schools experienced hands-on science classes during the term from Jan 3-Apr 9. The classes are practicums, tied to the Ghana Education Service curriculum.

In all, the Center served 1501 students in about 3.5 months!!

This is the first “hands-on” science instruction these students have ever experienced. We hope to get some interviews with some of the students in the near future!

Lots of you helped out with this---it's just so great to show you the expressions on these faces!!

Here are the details for the number-lovers among us! Notice the size of most of the classes. The students divide---36 do science and the rest work together on their science notes, etc. in the "big room". Then they switch. They love coming to the Heritage to study together---social fun! After all, they are junior high-ers!!

NAME OF SCHOOL S	DATE	NO. OF PUPIL	NAME OF TEACHER
Axim Methodist JHS	3rd January, 2012	50	Eric Jimpetey-Djan
Axim Methodist JHS	7th January, 2012	50	Eric Jimpetey-Djan
Life international JHS	12th January, 2012	21	Eric yankey
Axim Catholic JHS	13th January, 2012	57	Eric Jimpetey-Djan
Axim Methodist JHS	14th January, 2012	50	Eric Jimpetey-Djan
Axim Methodist JHS	19th January, 2012	94	John Agyei
Alhe Sunna JHS	20th January, 2012	32	Madam safia
Dr. Beamish JHS	20th January, 2012	28	Wilberforce koomson
Axim Methodist JHS	21th January, 2012	50	Eric Jimpetey-Djan
Life international JHS	26th January, 2012	9	Eric yankey
SOLAPS	27th January, 2012	18	Prince Piedu
Axim Methodist JHS	28th January, 2012	94	Eric Jimpetey-Djan
Life international JHS	2nd February, 2012	21	Eric yankey
Brawire Akyinim JHS	2nd February, 2012	28	Emmanuel ebisah
St. Augustinus JHS	3rd February, 2012	71	Dickson atta quaicoe
Life international JHS	3rd February, 2012	9	Eric yankey
Brawire Akyinim JHS	3rd February, 2012	28	Emmanuel ebisah
Axim Methodist JHS	4th February, 2012	50	Eric Jimpetey-Djan
Axim Catholic JHS	4th February, 2012	57	Eric Jimpetey-Djan
SOLAPS	9th February, 2012	12	Eric yankey Prince Piedu
Life international JHS	14th February, 2012	9	Eric yankey
Axim Methodist JHS	14th February, 2012	94	Eric Jimpetey-Djan
Axim Methodist JHS	18th February, 2012	74	Eric Jimpetey-Djan
Dr. Beamish JHS	23rd February, 2012	32	Wilberforce koomson
Axim Methodist JHS	25th February, 2012	50	Eric Jimpetey-Djan
SOLAPS	26th February, 2012	18	Prince Piedu
Axim Methodist JHS	3rd March, 2012	94	Eric Jimpetey-Djan
Axim Catholic JHS	3rd March, 2012	57	Eric Jimpetey-Djan
Axim Methodist JHS	16th March, 2012	74	Eric Jimpetey-Djan
Apataim JHS	17th March, 2012	20	Victor nda ackah
Apataim JHS	23rd  March, 2012	22	Victor nda ackah
Apataim JHS	6th April, 2012	17	Victor nda ackah
Axim Methodist JHS	7th April, 2012	50	Eric Jimpetey-Djan
Apataim JHS	9th April, 2012	20	Victor nda ackah
Life international JHS	7th April, 2012	9	Eric yankey
Alhe Sunna JHS	7th April, 2012	32	Madam safia