Copyright 2008 Argus LLP All rights reserved.
Copyright 2009 Let Us Shine (Registered Charitable Trust In UK Nos: SCO37489)
Phone: +44 (0) 845 638 3225 Fax: +44 (0) 845 638 3228 Email: info@letusshine.org
KPANDAI
Our main project, the Let Us Shine Girls Academy in Kpandai, currently has a student population of 133 pupils, aged 7-16. The girls live in our boarding facility which provides a healthy and supportive learning environment for them. Importantly, the academic syllabus each student follows is supplemented by programmes which focus on health education and on developing personal and social skills to prepare them for the next stage of their career.
The Academy provides good quality accommodation to its boarders and our students follow a healthy and balanced diet through the three meals a day provided. Their healthcare is covered by national health insurance and our full vaccination program. The students all come from local villages, and many return home to visit family and relatives at weekends and during academic holidays. Parental engagement is a significant objective of the project, and we ensure we personally meet and explain our working philosophies to all pupils, parents and family.
Girls' education is a top-ranked social investment:
- a year of schooling for a mother can reduce child mortality by 10%;
- education increases women's productivity and participation in the work force;
- a number of studies have found that parental education, but particularly a mother's education, has a big influence on children's attendance and achievement;
- educated mothers are 50% more likely to immunize their children than mothers; with no schooling. By educating girls it encourages women and their families to practice healthy behaviours and avoid risky ones;
- girls' access and enrolment levels in northern and rural areas of Ghana are lower than in southern, urban areas;
- a poor standard of sanitation levels at schools has been found to correlate with lower female enrolment and higher drop-out rates;
- an additional year of schooling raises income by up to 20% on average in Africa; and
- sub-Saharan Africa alone is estimated to be in need of at least 4 million additional teachers to enable governments to provide universal access to primary education.
The opportunity of an education is a basic human right that must be available for all children, regardless of their gender, ethnicity or religion. Despite the Ghanaian's government's commitment to education, shown in the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) programme, there are thousands of children in Ghana who are denied the chance of education because poverty leaves parents struggling to pay their direct and indirect costs of education as they progress through school. In the north of Ghana, where the majority of the population are involved in agriculture, children are normally required by their parents to work and contribute to the family income - education is therefore a low priority.
In many rural areas alternative prospects to farming are limited, and where children's parents and ancestors did not receive formal education, this results in them placing a low value on education. Unfortunately, this is particularly evident in Northern Ghana where most families are only able to engage in subsistence farming, but their gradual exposure to organisations such as ourselves means the appeal of education and alternative livelihoods is increasing. There is no doubt that education is a powerful lever for poverty reduction, empowerment and in the long term, economic growth. Our aim is therefore to promote education to children, parents and the wider local community.
Why did we choose to focus on education girls for our first project?