Copyright 2009 Let Us Shine (Registered Charitable Trust In UK Nos: SCO37489)
What did we do for her?
After hearing Josephine's story, Let Us Shine staff members discussed with her where she would like to go now with her life. She told us she would like to become a lawyer but before that her biggest dream was just to finish high school. We discussed her schooling with a local headmaster who looked at previous report cards and said that as more than 5 years had passed since her last formal schooling she would need to repeat a year but apart from that if her fees were paid she could start straight away. One week later Josephine was re-enrolled in high school. She has now completed one year and with more good exams results has done enough to gain entry to St Peters Senior Secondary School in Accra where she began in Oct 08 and Let Us Shine continue to pay her fees.
What do we provide for her?
Josephine is an ideal candidate for our Shining Stars Scholarship program and we were delighted to sponsor her on her promise of working hard. All her school books were purchased, her school fees were paid, accommodation was arranged for her and a living allowance was organised for her.
How do we support her?
Each week Josephine visits our office in Accra to report and progress or problems she may be having, offering support and encouragement to enable her to develop. Her teachers also report on such issues as attendance, behaviour and class work on a monthly basis, all of which have been exemplary so far. Quarterly progress reports are written on all students sponsored under the Let Us Shine Shining Stars Scholarships.
What problems did she face?
Josephine settled very well into her new surroundings in her first year of schooling in Kpandai, helping out in her spare time by looking after the younger girls in the Let Us Shine girls school. She identified maths was the one area she felt she wasn't as fresh on so we have organised some extra evening classes. She also felt that her deaf ear was giving her problems at times hearing the teacher. She has since seen specialist doctor and additional sponsor money paid for a hearing aid. This was the first time she has been to a doctor about her ear.
If you are interested in Sponsoring a Child as part of our Shining Stars Scholarship Programme please contact: info@letusshine.org
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How Shining Stars Helped Josephine
Josephine is 19 years old from the Volta region of Ghana. She grew up with 6 sisters and was raised by her mother. She completed high school until the age of 14, with excellent results. The fees the following year were too high and Josephine's mother could not afford to pay them. Desperate to finish her schooling, she moved 6 hours away to stay with a married sister. A few months after the move, her sister died in child birth and her husband could not pay her school fees, so she began to work in a pepper farm. After 2 years she managed to save enough to enrol in school but only had enough for 3 months and had to leave again.
She then moved to Accra with her mother and they both started work in a quarry, breaking rocks 14 hours a day and continued this for 3 years, barely managing to feed themselves and the memory of school became a distant dream. During this period of working in the quarry Josephine went deaf in one ear. On turning 19, Josephine began asking of her father thinking of another possible avenue for help. She hadn't seen him since she was 2 but eventually traced him to Kpandai in the Northern Region of Ghana. After a 16 hour journey Josephine came face to face with him and pleaded her case for him to help with her schooling. His response was that education is not for females and she was old now so should get married and start a market stall. It was at this point in her life that we met Josephine
Phone: +44 (0) 845 638 3225 Fax: +44 (0) 845 638 3228 Email: info@letusshine.org
Shining Stars Scholarship
Although Let Us Shine specialises in our own primary schools to promote education we also recognise the huge amount of talented teenagers struggling with high school fees and forced to forget about the chances of University as they can not find fees to complete high school. We have met some fantastically intelligent high school children forced out of school for unpaid fees and as a result launched our Shining Stars Scholarship program where we identify talented individuals who have left school early and take over their fees until completion of high school
