Education is the silver bullet.
Dear Lead For Ghana Community,
Happy new month! Welcome to this week’s edition of Briefings From Lead For Ghana! Here are the highlights:
REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT - VOLTA REGION
Educational Statistics
The Volta Region, one of Ghana’s sixteen administrative regions carved out of the (old) Volta Region, has an estimated population of 1.95M as of 2021. The literacy rate of the region is about 49%, and according to the 2020 MICS-EAGLE Ghana Education Fact Sheets, the region has the most drastic decline in school completion rates from primary to upper secondary. 63% of children complete primary education, but only 15% of children complete upper secondary.
19% of children aged 7 to 14 years in the region have foundational reading skills while only 9% of children of the same ages have foundational numeracy skills.
Impact to Date
The very first Lead For Ghana cohort of Fellows were placed in the Akatsi North, Akatsi South, and Agotime-Ziope districts in the Volta Region across 12 schools, 4 from each district. Since then, from 2016, we have placed over 90 Fellows impacting more than 9,000 students in 36 schools across 10 districts with over 10 capstone projects implemented across the communities and schools.
Since 2016, Lead For Ghana has made significant progress in improving educational outcomes for students across the 10 partner districts in the Volta Region. These efforts have focused on key areas such as enhancing academic performance, increasing access to opportunities, and nurturing students' mindsets. To achieve these goals, Fellows have undertaken Capstone projects aimed at addressing various challenges impacting students in the aforementioned critical areas.
Afatsagbleve D/A Basic School - Akatsi South District
Fellows posted to the Afatsagbleve D/A Basic School rallied the support of the PTA and community to build a modern and multi-purpose canteen to replace the makeshift canteen structure in the school. Work on the canteen started in February 2018, and through fundraising efforts and active community involvement, was successfully completed and launched in June 2019.
Ave-Afiadenyigba D/A Basic School - Akatsi North District
Knowing the power of exposure, the pioneer fellow placed at Ave-Afiadenyigba D/A Basic School organized a trip for his final year students to explore high schools outside their community as well as the University of Ghana Balme Library and the Lead For Ghana office. The trip renewed the minds of the students and subsequently influenced some of them to consider secondary school choices outside the Volta Region for the first time.
The 2018 Fellows championed the establishment of a resource center to facilitate STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics). To execute this project, the Fellows worked with the School Management Committee, PTA, District Assembly, and the District Education Directorate. An abandoned school structure was refurbished, completed, and repurposed into the resource center. The center was furnished with 12 computers and some furniture. The resource center serves three other schools in the community.
Yevi D/A Basic School - Agotime-Ziope District
The 2016 cohort of Fellows constructed a urinal for staff and students to improve hygiene in the school. The installation of this urinal has eradicated the need for students and teachers to leave the school premises repeatedly throughout the day for restroom breaks. Consequently, this has minimized the loss of precious instructional hours.
The 2018 Fellows collaborated with other Fellows of their cohort to organize a career day, with a primary focus on student exposure to diverse career pathways and increasing students’ investment in their educational trajectories. Also, the Fellows collaborated with stakeholders from the community and the school to begin a school renovation project. The objective of the project was to provide a safe classroom structure for basic school pupils from the Yevi township and its environs. The project heavily involved community members who contributed manpower towards the renovation.
FELLOW SPOTLIGHT: INNOVATION REALLY IS SIMPLE
In teaching the biology topic of Conjugation in Paramecium, our Fellow Hamza Fuseini of E.P Agric Senior High School, Tatale, truly embodied our core belief: "Innovation Is Simple."
Teaching complex topics in under-resourced schools lacking science labs and basic equipment like microscopes can be challenging. However, undergoing Lead For Ghana's intensive six-week institute training equips our educators to overcome such obstacles.
Hamza ingeniously transformed what could have been a daunting task into a fun, engaging, and enlightening learning experience utilizing cardboard, paper, tape, scissors, and writing tools. More remarkably, he empowered his students and ensured this initiative was entirely student-led. Through this experience, our Fellow not only made a complex concept accessible to these students but also undoubtedly instilled in them the value of innovation.
It is crucial that, while we strive for long-term solutions to address gaps in our educational system, we also employ simple, practical, short-term innovations to meet immediate needs effectively. As always, we are proud of the amazing work our Fellows do, and we hope that they continue to be an inspiration to others!
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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: PAY IT FORWARD - THE INSPIRING STORY OF EMMANUEL ODEI AYISI
"Teaching is more than imparting knowledge; it is inspiring change." — William Arthur Ward
As a basic school student, Emmanuel encountered teachers who poured their hearts into the job and went beyond their call of duty to provide mentorship and ensure he and his colleagues had as close to a holistic development as possible.
“I did not attend the best of schools, but I had the best of teachers.”
This experience left an indelible mark on Emmanuel. Recognizing the pivotal role these teachers played in altering his fate, he committed himself to paying their selfless acts forward by offering free teaching, nurturing, and mentoring to students. While pursuing his bachelor’s degree, Emmanuel would spend his vacations teaching students at the Achimota Preparatory School. So, when he heard about the Lead For Ghana Fellowship at a campus event in the University of Ghana, Legon, he knew it was a perfect match.
Inspired by his math teacher’s advice to teach whenever he had the chance, he decided to embark on the fellowship although being a teacher wasn’t his long-term goal. The Lead For Ghana Fellowship was the perfect opportunity for his short-term goal. Throughout his fellowship, as he empowered his students, he underwent a personal transformation. One of the most remarkable lessons he got out of the fellowship was our core value “innovation is simple”. He learned that a person does not need to have it all together to effect change, but must be proactive and resourceful. He integrates this mindset into his daily life, consistently positioning himself as a catalyst for change, and actively seizing opportunities to innovate and address challenges in any situation he encounters. He also discovered a deeper sense of responsibility and love toward community. Some of the capstone projects he and his colleagues undertook during their fellowship at Akpokope D/A JHS were seeking funds to change worn out uniforms for about a number of students, refurbish the ICT lab, provide a photocopy machine and printer, and refurbish the school’s library.
Towards the end of his fellowship, Emmanuel decided to further his studies by going to medical school. He wanted to do more than just teach. He wanted to do more to benefit his community. He wanted to get to a place of influence where he could contribute to and advocate for fixing systematic challenges plaguing the country. And he believes he is on the right path toward doing that. Concurrently, he remains committed to implementing short-term solutions to problems in and around the communities he engages with.
“Always walk into a community with empathy, that way if you identify any problems, you’re moved to solve them before you leave.”
During his first three years in medical school, while visiting rural communities for clinical experience, he identified educational gaps in the communities and worked toward solving them. The solution-oriented initiatives included rallying his colleagues to organize educational drives, donating books, stationery, and teaching and learning materials. He also revisited the community to spend a month to launch a campaign called “Study at Home” to encourage learning at home outside of school hours. The campaign execution included sensitizing parents on the importance of learning at home and making time to supervise their children, and organizing a seminar to teach students to draw personal learning schedules for studying at home.
Emmanuel is in his 4th year in medical school and envisions a future where he can continue his mentorship endeavors. He also looks forward to successfully graduating from medical school, pursuing a degree in Medical Law and eventually collaborating with organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) to advocate for marginalized health concerns such as developmental defects and the stigmas that come with them. He also has plans to increase health awareness and expand healthcare delivery in rural areas.
“The seed that my teachers and the Lead For Ghana fellowship have sown in me is still alive and I look forward to making an impact everywhere I go!”
EDUCATION NEWS IN AFRICA
Ghana: Prioritize education infrastructure investment in manifestos - Eduwatch to political parties
The Executive Director of Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), Kofi Asare, has called on political parties to prioritize investment in basic education infrastructure in their respective manifestos and policies.
“We want to see much more priority being given to upgrading of basic education infrastructure in this country bearing in mind that over 5,000 schools are still under trees and bad structures,” he stressed. (Source: Graphic Online)
Africa: 300 high school students to benefit from aerospace program
A total of 300 high school students aged 15 and 20 years old in Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Tanzania will benefit from the Pathways to Space initiative, an educational program aimed at cultivating STEM literacy, sparking interest in the space industry, and equipping students with essential skills for future success in aerospace careers. The program was launched by Being in collaboration with the Future African Space Explorer’s STEN Academy (FASESA). (Source: The Citizen, TZ)
Africa: UNESCO highlights shortage of teachers in sub-Saharan Africa
“Sub-Saharan Africa needs 15 million additional teachers to meet the 2030 Sustainable Developmental Goal on quality education”, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education Stephania Giannini made the remarks in Johannesburg, South Africa while releasing a report at the High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession. (Source: Xinhua Net)
ANNOUNCEMENT
Fellow Recruitment Is In Session
Applications for our 2024 Fellowship Program are still open. If you're interested in joining the movement or know someone who might be, use this link to apply.
LFG Polo Tournament
Our exciting polo tournament is still ongoing! Games are played every Saturday and Sunday from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm at the Accra Polo Club. Take a look at the league calendar here. It is free to enter! Do pass by with your friends and family, have a good time, take some photos, and don’t forget to tag us when you post! #LFGPolo
Passion Sprint
Period poverty has escalated in Ghana, fueled by exorbitant taxes on menstrual hygiene products. Evidently, the lack of access to menstrual hygiene products is a major contributory factor to school absenteeism among girls in rural communities. Support our cause to keep our girls in school. With just GHS50 this month, you can provide two packs of sanitary pads for one of the over 35,000 female students we serve.
JOIN THE MOVEMENT
The work we do is made possible by generous donations and grants from well-wishers and individuals who strongly want to see Ghana and Africa thrive. For us to continue the work we do and expand educational opportunities to all children in Ghana, we are counting on you to support our work by becoming a donor to our cause. Thank you so much and we look forward to you joining our donor community.