The schools are for girls aged between 15 and 20 to enable them to continue their studies in English, maths and health and gain skills to help them to earn money or set up their own small businesses. There are courses in typing, tailoring, weaving, batik, tie-dying , catering, and hairdressing. Girls, who left school after 6 years primary education and sought unskilled work in the cities, are flocking back to school to gain skills and have a chance to study and work their way out of poverty. They have the full support of their parents many of whom had no opportunity to attend school and are often unable to read or write.
After successfully completing the course in dressmaking at Buipe Vocational School, three girls have been given hand sewing machines to start up their own business in their villages. By helping these young women we are helping the families of the future. We hope to continue this support of other students.
Two generous benefactors, including Man Group plc. Charitable Trust, have agreed to fund the building and furnishing of the Sawla Vocational School, which started in April and will be finished by September.
We now need funds to buy typewriters, sewing machines, cookers, looms, scissors and materials to get the courses started. Ghana Education Service pays the teachers and trainers. There are already 200 students enrolled at Sawla vocational School and another 250 in waiting. The school will give the young women of this isolated area of Sawla a real chance to help themselves and their district have a better life
The Lynne Symonds Library which we built and stocked in 1995, has had so many, much needed, new books sent by World Vision this year that new shelves have been built to house them .
GET fund money is helping to build a new two storey classroom block to house all the extra students. One of the classrooms has been fitted with air-conditioning and dustproof screens to house the 10 new computers, funded by the PTA. Our original computers suffered in the dust. The students are really enjoying their ICT classes.
The new piggery / animal husbandry unit, part supported by generous Wulugu Project supporters instead of Christmas presents, is up and running. The pigs are free range in the school grounds during the day and locked up at night. It is run like a business and the students sell the piglets in the market to pay for feed, vetinary bills and further expansion.
In the school garden, that Wulugu Project fenced, the student learn to grow a variety of vegetables and spices and learn to market them . Their latest project is to plant Mango trees in the school grounds for shade and fresh mangos in a few years time. They have to build mud walls round the sapling bases to protect the young trees from goats, pigs and footballs!
In 2007 the headmaster wrote that the school was bulging at the seams with 375 children but there were 170 who had been turned away. Could we help?
In March 2008, thanks to the generosity of two large donors the extra 4 classrooms are being built using locally made blocks. No portacabins here. Ghana Education Services have already appointed and are paying the extra teachers and have built a Junior High School to enable the children to benefit from 3 years of post primary education. Education is seen as very precious and a way out of poverty.
Wulugu Project approached the Kitchen Table Charity Trust www.kitchentablecharities.org , founded by John Humphrys , for a grant.
KTCT does support small charities, with specific projects that’ make a real difference to lives in the developing world.’ We were thrilled when our application was accepted. The work will be finished in April 2008
www.buy.at/Wulugu
One dual desk with seat(they need hundreds) £20
100 building blocks for a school(they need thousands) £30
One typewriter for the vocational school £50
One 1000gallon polythene tank for storing water ( including transport and fitting ) £250
One toilet block £2500
One classroom £4000
Please contact Leona Levine if you would like to donate. Thankyou
In my area as in many others in the north, the floods affected farmlands which are usually lowlying. The villages are built on higher grounds. Many people have lost their homes not to floods but the excessive raing simoly soak the foundatins of the mud rooms and they simply crumble.
One serious consequence of the floods will be hunger next year. Meanwhile I will get everything in place at the various schools as from tomorrow. Thanks for everything.
Sincere greetings to all the Wulugu people.
Kind regards.
Karimu.
‘Grass root’ teachers are well placed within communities to carry this out and will be rewarded with bicycles for effective work.
‘This is exactly what the Wulugu project has been quietly doing’ and continued to talk about what an effective charity we are! Well done Wulugu.