Mike Owusu, our program coordinator, attended a meeting of civil society organizations in September on the topic of Ghana’s new education bill.
This bill proposes decentralizing power over human resources in the public sector (including education) to local authorities. Civil society organizations welcome this move. Mike spoke about the advisability of giving decision-making power over teachers and other staff to local district assemblies.
Mike addressing the group
In honour of International Literacy Day, Light for Children chose to focus on books for beginning readers. Lisa Parsons, the library project coordinator, facilitated a workshop on writing picture books for the earliest readers. The workshop was attended by NGO personnel, teachers, and a representative of Ultimate FM (a Kumasi radio station).
Workshop participants in front of the Education Center
The following day, Mike and Lisa spoke to a group of students at the Department of Publishing Studies at KNUST about the importance of creating entertaining books for beginning readers in Ghana, both in English and in local languages.
Mike and Lisa at the Department of Publishing Studies
Students got a chance to look at a variety of books for beginner readers from Ghana and abroad
Ultimate FM invited Light for Children to participate in a program about the issue of teen pregnancy in Ghana. Lisa Parsons represented Light for Children for this discussion.
Lisa at Ultimate FM radio station
Over the summer, five students from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia volunteered with Light for Children as part of an ongoing partnership through GlobeMed. We recently received these photos from one of the activities – a visit to a high school in the Lake Bosumtwe area near Kumasi.
Light for Children volunteers preparing refreshments for the students
The volunteers spoke to the students about staying focused on their education, as well as addressing some of the sexual issues that teenage girls face. The encouraged the students to practice safer sex and not to become sexually active until they are prepared to deal with the consequences. They also spoke to the students about the power of education to enable them to transcend poverty and increase their opportunities in adulthood.
High school students with local interns Luiza and Maame Essie