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Student Interview: Mohammed Inuwa
05/01/2010

Mohammed Inuwa was interviewed by journalist, Anna Boiko-Weyrauch, while in Ghana. This is one of six interviews Anna conducted with Anansi students. Mohammed attends Edinaman Senior High School in Ghana and will graduate in 2011. A big thank you to Anna for her hard work and wonderful ability to bring such lovely insights out of normally shy students!

 

Anansi Alumni Accepted to Ashesi University
04/19/2010

Maxwell Nkestiah, one of our Anansi students who graduated last year, has been accepted to Ashesi University. Ashesi was founded by a Ghanaian man who attended Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, then the University of California in Berkley, and then worked for Microsoft in the Seattle area. I believe it is the best school in West Africa.

Maxwell is a bright, modest, sweet, likable, tall, gangly young man who is absolutely thrilled with this chance to change his life. His father is retired from a job with the water company and receives 50 Ghana cedies per month (roughly $35). His mother cooks lunch at the Kubease Elementary School five days a week and is paid 30 cedies per month. Without the produce they grow at home, there would not be enough money to feed the family — let alone afford the expense of high school for their children.

Maxwell performed very well on his exit examinations taken at his high school, Agree Memorial High School in Cape Coast. When we learned of his exam scores, we suggested that it might be worth his while to apply to Ashesi because they might provide a scholarship that would allow him to attend. When we took Maxwell to Accra to visit the school and pick up application forms, he was overwhelmed with the sensations of being in the big city. He had not been to Accra (two and one half hours from Cape Coast by bus) since he was about five years old.

People who came to my house during the time of his application read essays he was writing and gave him helpful advice and Donna Mueller Vitt (from Bellingham, WA) coached him on interview skills. He was called in for an interview before I left Ghana and, afterward, came to my house to report about the questions asked and his answers to them. When I asked him what he thought his chances would be for acceptance, he said, "I think they will accept me — we had a good chat." The only way I can describe how Maxwell looked when he anticipated going to Ashesi is to tell you that his smile looked like it went around his face at least three times.

When I think about Maxwell attending Ashesi and the perspective he will bring to whatever he chooses to do with his life, I realize that helping this one boy reach an unthinkable goal is worth all that you people of Anansi have done. I'm thrilled and proud of us and him — and I hope you are, too.

— Kathryn Roe, Anansi Founder and Director

 

Meet the New Anansi Students
10/11/2009

The new school year is underway and, thanks to funds raised last year, Anansi has sent 9 new students to begin their high school educations. We'd like to introduce these new students by sharing their application statements to Anansi. Their own words illustrate their realities, ambitions, and hearts better than we ever could:

Agnes Efua Arthur I am the third among my six siblings. My father left us when I was young. My mother is not well to do she sells petty petty things. Please my two elder sisters who completed the basic did not get anybody to cater for their education to further even though they had good grades. They were going with my mother to the farm and unfortunately one has given birth to three children, the other two without responsible fathers. Please I don’t want to be like them. I am therefore pleading for a scholarship to enable me to become a nurse so that I can help the people in my village and also serve as a role model to the younger ones in the community.

Sandra Abaka-Mensah Please madam, the reason why I need scholarship assistance is that I completed junior Secondary School this year and my result is in. I got the grade of seventeen and I got admission at Edinaman Senior Secondary School. My parents are not having money to help me continue my education. I want to get good work to do in future so I want you to help me with my education. My mother is a trader and my father is also a fitting but the work is not big for them to help me continue my education. This is why I need your help.

Theresa Ntrakwa I wish to apply for a scholarship in the Anansi NGO because my father who was head of the family and also the one who takes care of me. He was the one who had wanted to take care of me at the senior Secondary School level but has died recently. When he died it was left with my mother who ha to take are of me. She too does not do any job even when I was in the junior secondary school level my mother had to borrow money from someone before I can go to school but I wish my application will be granted.

Stephen Essoun Please madam I am a member of a family which I made of seven people. Five children and the parents. I am the 3rd born to my parent. My elder sister, John and I are living with the stepfather of the last two children. Because the father is not our real father he doesn’t take good care of us and also he is not working. He only goes to the family. And also my mother is a sickler and she cannot goes to long distance so she does not work. So we all depend on what the father will give to my mother. Please madam, even John, if is not your mercy that you took of him, like he will be sitting at home by now. Even right now, the money we will use for the prospectus is a problem for my mother. Due to this problems, I am pleading so that I will be considered as one of your Anansi students. And I believe strongly that, if I am been taken, I will not misuse the resource that you will be spending about me. I will work even harder than work John did. Thank you, May God richly bless you and also give you eternal life.

David Kingsley Anthony Financial difficulties. Poor living conditions. Lack of proper embarkment from parents. Low level of employment for parent to do to improve child education. There are lack of proper upbringing of children due to low level of money from parents. Because of what I want to do with education.

Kofi Mustapher Please, I am an orphan. Both of my parents do not exist. I am the eldest followed by my four siblings. My grandmother who is 68 years took care of us up to this time. She is a farmer and cannot do any active farm work this time due to her age. The main reason I want the scholarship is to enable me to go to school and secure a job to cater for myself and my younger siblings in future so that they also get a good standard in education. Through this, I have write my Basic Education Certificate twice. The first one I did not performed well which I got aggregate 33. I sit-up again and write my second Basic Education Certificate which I get aggregate 19. I am therefore applying for scholarship from your outfit to enable me to carry on with my secondary school education because my poor grandmother cannot cater for me and my siblings. Yours Faithfully.

Georgina Nketsia It has always been my desire to be a nurse in my future. I have been taken a nurse as my goal because there are a lot of people dying in our country. And because these people are needed in the development of the country, I want to be a nurse so that I will help to protect the life of these people. But my father is a pensioner, that is the reason why I am humbly applying to Anansi NGO to accept me to be a student under their scholarship. I promise I will be a good student and hard work if you take care of me. Thank you. Your’s Faithfully.

Francis Morrison Okyere I would like to appeal to you as an NGO to grant me a favour in your scholarship program to aid me to become an Agriculturalist in future. I am the second born to the family of six. Due to my better performance in terms of academic, my then class teacher who was unprofessional teacher loved and assisted me by sending me to Manpong in Ashanti Region and help me in my basic education. I am brought back to my parents at Jukwa Nkonknso who are peasant farmers. They were unable to send me to continue my education although I had a good passes in the BECE due to financial constraints. This year there is no sign of hope, so I therefore write to consider my application for approval to assist me to achieve my future aspiration. Thank you in advance with your usual assistance for needy pupils.

A Letter to Sponsors
4/18/2009

Last week Anansi's director, Kathryn Roe, received the following letter from one of our students attending Assin Manso SNR High:

God bless our great NGO Anansi and make her great and strong both to defend her scholars and sponsors. Specially Mr and Mrs Mahow my sponsors and you Roe Kathryn.

Dear Anansi,

I deem a great pleasure to write to this script full thanks for your support to me and my entire community and family for if not your support like I would have been a burden on my people.

Anansi is my humble that the Good Lord who bless and no man curse will richly enlighten you and your sponsors in all their hard works. Mum I believe the soul of my late father Mr. Kojo Acquah is with me and all people who cater for me, for it is written in the holy books that blessed is who care for orphans.

I promise with faith that I will never deceive you and also let all your sufferings be in vain. Mum I would like to send this words encouragement to all Anansi sponsors that we the scholar have decide firmly that we will never let their suffering be in vain. Lord have mercy upon man. Amen.

Yours Faithfully,
Osei Daniel

Thank you, Daniel, for extending your wishes to all Anansi sponsors. It is heartwarming to become aware that, from across the globe, such earnest good will is being directed our way.

 

Student Meeting
1/1/2009

My living room in Mpeasem, Ghana, is about 24 by 20 feet, a squarish room with a good Benitone fan hanging from the middle of the high ceiling. For about one half hour on the 21st of December while the fan was struggling to do it's job, it became so hot in this room that some obrunis (white people) were seen staggering out into the breezes of West Africa. With most of our Anansi students there for our annual Anansi meeting, eighteen students and teachers from a Western Washington University Study Abroad Program stopped in for a "hello." We had about sixty people in the room, which up until then had seemed quite sizable. It was wonderful.

The Bellingham students brought gifts in the form of pencils, pens, paper etc. for our Anansi students. Our normally shy students responded to these U.S. students with enthusiasm and interest. After the animated interaction between U.S. students and Anansi students, we all moved outside to enjoy the music at the school grounds provided by some new African American friends of mine. We rented five canopies for this occasion, which made shade for the twenty-two musicians and for our students, guests and passersby. The music was as enthusiastic and animated as the conversations had been in the house.

The T-shirts the Anansi students are wearing came from Ski to Sea people via WCC and me.

— Kathryn Roe