Ramsbury charity opens new kindergarten block for Ghana school

Ramsbury-based charity Action Through Enterprise (ATE) has opened a purpose-built kindergarten block at Karbo Primary School in the poverty-stricken area of Lawra in the Upper West Region of Ghana.

This project was funded by Marlborough couple Martin and Eugenia Ephson through their educational trust.

The kindergarten became necessary because of the success of ATE first and continuing project: funding school meals at Karbo primary school. This programme has increased school attendance from 48 per cent of local children to 98 per cent.

ATE raised funds and worked with the District Education Office to complete the kindergarten project which has two new classrooms, an office and a veranda – complete with furniture, teaching equipment and toys for the younger pupils.

Mary Karbo, Head teacher of Karbo Primary School, said, “I’m very happy with our new classrooms. There is a lot more space for the children, new furniture, and plenty of materials to use in lessons. We’re very grateful to ATE”.

ATE’s founder, Sarah Gardner, lives in Ramsbury.  She is a trained primary school teacher and previously worked in Lawra as a full time teacher support officer with the Ghana Education Service and Voluntary Services Overseas.

She told MNO:  “It’s been amazing to see the impact of school feeding on the attendance at Karbo Primary school, but there was a real need for new kindergarten classrooms. With a very generous contribution from our donors we have been able to work with the Ghana Education Service to build this new block. We hope this will help attendance at the school continue at a high level”.

While Ghana’s capital Accra is a thriving international city and the south of the country has a strong economy, areas in the north are among the poorest in West Africa.  In 2004 the Lawra District education service found that 10,784 schoolchildren – 41 per cent of the total enrolment – had no seating in their classrooms.

ATE also works in this area providing small loans to encourage people to starting small-scale enterprises.  Many of these small businesses are now thriving – and repaying their loans.