NUMA Water System - 14 Schools
Ghana is located in West Africa and is sandwiched between Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and Togo. The northern border is the country Burkina Faso and the southern border is the Gulf of Guinea. The country is slightly smaller than the state of Oregon. The landscape consists mainly of plains and low plateaus covered by rainforests in the west and Lake Volta in the east.Children in Ghana begin two years of kindergarten at age four. Then all children ages 6-12 attend six years of elementary education. If families can afford it, children go on to secondary education. Ghana’s school system is more advanced than many of its African neighbors.There are over 50 different ethnic groups in Ghana, each with their own customs and languages. But the country is harmonious and peaceful. The Akan tribe is the largest group and makes up about 45 percent of the population. They live mostly in villages and grow their food on farms.Our implementing partner, Water4, is planning the construction of 14 safe water points for schools in 6 communities in Ghana. In addition to the students enrolled, 5 to 8 teachers are living on or near each school campus and will also have access to the piped water resource. By providing safe water for teachers and staff, more teachers are willing to stay in these more rural areas rather than transferring to a more urban school district.
Saviefe Deme Community School
Saviefe Deme is a rural community located in the Volta region of Ghana and has a population of approximately 3,100 people. The major economic activity in the community is subsistent farming, trading, and hunting. The people are very friendly and accommodating. Saviefe Deme Community School was established in 1964 by the Government of Ghana in partnership with the community. The school has not received any major development from the government since its establishment, so the community members always come together to support the school through communal labor with the support of other organizations. Being the only school in the area, the school currently has 150 students ranging from kindergarten to grade 9.
Women’s Production Program
Our implementing partner, Volunteers for Amelioration of Rural Areas (VARAS), started the women's apprenticeship program in 2019 under their women empowerment program in Ghana. The apprenticeship program aims to provide skill-based training to rural women in desperate abusive situations so they can be economically and socially empowered. The skill undertraining is sewing and dressmaking, which includes sewing clothes for both men and women and other auxiliaries. But to broaden their skill set, other essential training, like soap making, is taught. Also, to better prepare them, they are taught basic English and Math, Business skills/entrepreneurial training, and computer lessons. These comprehensive skills are to position them to work in any environment without hindrance. The training takes 12 months of the calendar year and is free of charge. After their training, they are given a free hand sewing machine, certificate, and other necessary tools to remove the hurdle of starting a business. The training is in its fourth year, and 24 women have successfully graduated and established themselves. In terms of impact, more than 3000 families now have livelihoods because of the training program.The program is a dual system, consisting of an apprenticeship, which is the training component, and a production program, which serves as the employment phase. The production program, a social enterprise, aims to further engage and employ female graduates who, unfortunately, were unable to find employment and have returned to their pre-training circumstances.