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US Ambassador supports self-help project
Nkawkaw (E/R), March 13, Ghanadot/GNA - Miss Pamela
Bridgewater, US Ambassador to Ghana on Thursday demonstrated
her commitment to empowering rural children in Ghana to have
a better future by making yet another cash and stationery
donation to the Nkawkaw TI Ahmadiyya Basic School.
Ms. Bridgewater presented a cheque for 2,080 dollars to the
school to top up her previous donation of 3,120 dollars for
the roofing of a three classroom block with an office and a
library, which was constructed at a cost of 45,000 Ghana
cedis with funds from the Ahmadiyya Mission and the
Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) of the school.
The donation was part of the US Ambassador's Special
Self-Help Programme, which supports communities that
initiate and plan projects that, among other things improve
the basic economic and social conditions at the grassroots
level.
The programme required beneficiary communities to make
significant local contribution in the form of cash, labour
and materials and have the ability to maintain the project
before they could qualify for support.
Since Ms Bridgewater assumed office as US Ambassador in
2005, she has supported at least 45 such projects across the
country at a total cost of 210,000 dollars.
Ms Bridgewater noted that self-help had proved to be the
best way for poor rural communities to emerge out of need
into endowment, saying the Embassy would continue to support
poor communities, which show signs of self-help.
Mr. Joe Latif Acquah, Headmaster of the School, was full of
gratitude to Ms Bridgewater and announced his intention to
name a new Education Resource Centre near the school after
her.
He said when he took over as headmaster in 1998, the school
had 338 pupils with five classrooms accommodating six
classes with no furniture.
"The children sat on the bare floor and used wawa boards as
tables," he said.
He noted that the school was populated with children of poor
migrant workers, saying that rich parents avoided the school
and that accounted for the poor infrastructure.
Mr. Acquah noted that in the midst of the challenges he got
wind of the US Ambassador's Self-Help Project and applied
and got through successfully.
He appealed to the US Ambassador to provide the school with
computers to enable the school to meet the ICT requirement
introduced on the academic timetable for basic schools.
Mr. Abraham Adjetey Sowah, Municipal Director of Education,
assured Ms. Bridgewater that the facilities she had provided
would be used efficiently and maintained well.
Mr. Thomas Ba-Innimayeh, Acting Kwahu West Municipal
Coordinating Director, assured the school that the assembly
would soon come on board and take over from where the US
Embassy left off and complete the project.
The school now has a population of 462 pupils and has
benefited from yet another support from the USAID and built
another three classroom block with a staff common room on
the same compound.
GNA
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