Secondary education in Ghana is experiencing a period of change, and Anansi Education is preparing to meet the subsequent changing needs as they come. The government of Ghana has announced that they will make secondary education free for incoming freshmen this September. This will NOT include any students who are already enrolled (which means that all of our current Anansi sponsors will fulfill their original 3 year agreement, so their students can complete their degrees). No one knows exactly what that means. They say they will pay for tuition, board and room for all qualifying first year students beginning in September of 2017. No one knows where the money will come from. No one knows where the necessary teachers or classrooms or dormitory space will come from, but nevertheless they, the government, continues to say it will happen. If it does, Anansi’s role will of necessity change.
Here is our plan: Beginning this September we hope to establish three satellites of Anansi Education, in Takoradi, in Assin Faso and in Winneba. These satellites will continue to follow the Anansi mission – find young students who wouldn’t be able to attend high school without our help and provide the support they need to make it possible. The challenges to attend school go beyond the tuition fees that the government will now be offering. The required uniforms, supply box, food and travel expenses are all impediments to our students.
The satellite managers’ job will be to relocate to the specific site to which they are assigned and find those young people for whom going to high school is still an impossible task. Anansi support will help cover the basic necessities beyond tuition to go to school – mattress, sheets, uniform, chop box, trunk, proper shoes, books and even food provisions to add to the minimal meal plan that the high school offers. The manager will primarily help each student through the enrollment process and handle the difficult transition that some students have moving away from home to attend school. For students who are the first in their family, or even their village, to attend school, simply enrolling and beginning school is overwhelming. The Anansi trained staff can help them find faith , confidence and the skill to self advocate in their new surroundings and increase the likeliness of their ultimate success. Mohammed Inuwa, who has worked for Anansi for the past six years doing just what we are asking them to do as they tend their students in their new stations, will have trained our new managers.
It will cost $2400 to pay the manager of an Anansi Satellite and $500 for each student covering the starting package and provisions each term for three years. That means if we have 9 students in each satellite the total cost will be about $7000 per satellite pilot. All our money will be going just where it is needed – to help new students who would not be able to go to high school and provide a few of our graduates with real world work experience and salary.
Your help is needed. We have already raised the funds for the Takoradi and Assin Faso satellites! Help us raise enough money ($7000) to fund the Winneba satellite. We will name it after the person who donates the most money toward the project. All donations, small and large are welcome and tax deductible. Thank you for continuing to support Anansi’s mission, and helping us continue to provide the necessary support for these promising young students in changing times.
Please follow Give button on our website’s home page, which will walk you through the steps to make a donation or send a check made out to Anansi Education, mailed to Alisa Roe at 8810 NW Lakecrest Ave, Vancouver WA 98665. Your contributions are valuable and change lives. Thank you.
