After funding five wells in Northern Ghana earlier this year, another well has been completed thanks to funds raised at the ASEA 2022 Europe Conference. Thanks so much to those in Europe who contributed! The ASEA Advancing Life Foundation is teaming up with Engage Now Africa to help fund a new school with six classrooms. This life-changing project will host 500 elementary-aged children each year.
From a crumbling building to a state-of-the-art school
School children in the area have been attending an unsafe building to receive their education. During the monsoon season, the clay walls soften with decay and crumble. Teachers have been using an outdoor area under a tree to avoid the disintegrating structure. Soon the students will have a building equipped with electricity, restrooms, and another water well, which the entire community can access.
A safer environment for girls
In Northern Ghana, children are in great need of extra help. Roughly one in every ten children dies before their fifth birthday, and it is estimated that 80% of all diseases in the area are caused by a lack of access to safe drinking water. In areas where clean water isn’t available, most children must walk several miles to collect it, which keeps them from attending school. This can create a very unsafe environment for girls and women, who are vulnerable to assault or trafficking during their daily water routine. Girls and women in the area are also vulnerable when proper restroom facilities aren’t available.
Only around 13% of the population has access to adequate sanitation facilities. The new school will have a boys’ and a girls’ restroom with flushing toilets, sinks to wash their hands, and clean water. Not only will girls be safer with the new school accommodations, but they now have hours back in their day to focus on their studies. And with the influx of water from the previous five wells installed, the local livestock is no longer dying of thirst, are producing more milk, and are healthier for families to use for food.
An opportunity for workers to learn
The construction of the building will be of the highest quality available in the region and is set to stand for over 120 years. The men in the community are being offered employment to help build the school, being paid for their skills, and learning new skills to broaden their ability to find more work and provide for their families. The community now has a personal stake in the school’s construction and maintenance.
New computer lab and library bring opportunity
With the addition of electricity in the school, students will have access to computer technology and connectivity. This will allow them to further their education with the current curriculum and give them the tools to seek out greater opportunities and careers as they grow. A new library filled with the latest educational resources and age-appropriate books will help children learn to read, explore new subjects, and help them feel empowered and proud of their education.
Warm welcome and gratitude from locals
Foundation Chair KimMarie Larsen recently visited the construction site, where she was hosted by the President of Education in Northern Ghana, the general contractor of the project, the head engineer, and the headmaster of the school. All those involved expressed their sincere gratitude for Advancing Life’s donations and school funding. Although many families live in extreme poverty, they gave what they could to express their immense gratitude. The group presented four guinea fowl, a chicken, several handwoven baskets, and two bags of peanuts that they had recently harvested. Women in the community sang and danced with joy. One woman expressed her excitement that she can now bathe herself and her children because of the new water well. Now thousands of people will enjoy a better standard of living with access to clean water.
Join the cause
Every donation given to the Advancing Life Foundation is matched by ASEA. You can help double the amount of aid to people in need when you set up a monthly recurring donation today. Make the most of this holiday season by helping a family in need.