Providing School Supplies to 100 Children in Ghana

In August 2023, the project supported 66 children from economically disadvantaged families in two communities who are currently engaged in activities. The support provided them with sets of school supplies. These sets included uniforms, socks, shoes, bags, pencils, erasers, notebooks, and other stationery items. The children who received these supplies were those engaged in child labor, not attending school, or irregularly attending school despite being enrolled.

To identify such children, the project established several stages. Firstly, the community register was conducted in collaboration with members of the Community Child Protection Committee (CCPC). Community register involves gathering information on community residents by household to understand the reality of child labor.

Next, from the data collected through the community register, children who were suspected of engaging in child labor or not attending school were identified. Furthermore, the CCPC identified particularly distressed families from this group, ultimately resulting in the support of 66 children with school supplies.

Children who received the school supplies and their guardians promised to ensure that the children attend school daily. Additionally, guardians pledged not to engage children in labor that would hinder their school attendance, compromise their safety, or impose physical strain on them.

Following the support with school supplies, support for school meals began in October at three primary and middle schools. In the two communities, due to a strong trend of children skipping school to assist their guardians at cocoa farms or open-air markets with their guardians from Wednesday to Friday, the project decided to support meals from Wednesday to Friday, with guardians contributing financially for Monday and Tuesday.

The reason for households to partially cover expenses was to ensure that they don't become solely dependent on project support and to gradually increase their share of self-funding each year, enabling guardians and residents to sustain school meals even after the project's completion.

Children who received the school supplies started attending school daily as promised, and since the end of August, school attendance has been maintained at 100%. Furthermore, there has been a continuous increase in new enrollments. Parents from neighboring communities heard about the start of the school meal program and began sending their children to these schools. We once again realized that creating a school environment that attracts children naturally leads to an increase in enrollment.

Let me introduce Nancy, one of the children who received the school supplies. Nancy is a 2nd-year middle school student living in Community L. Since there is no middle school in Community L, she walks about an hour and a half to attend a middle school in another community. Nancy's mother, who was a single parent, passed away early, leaving her orphaned. Her uncle took her in, but as a cocoa farm caretaker, he was far from affluent. He struggled to send his own three children to school and couldn't adequately provide Nancy with school supplies.

As a result, Nancy frequently skipped school, helping her uncle in the cocoa farm or doing household chores when not attending school. We interviewed Nancy and her uncle.

<Nancy's Interview>

"I used to work in the cocoa farm or study alone instead of going to school, and it was sad. The school supplies I received from the project have motivated me to go to school every day. I'm really happy to receive the school supplies. Going to school every day has made me even closer to my friends. I enjoy studying social studies, especially about the environment. I want to become a doctor in the future, so I want to continue studying."

<Uncle's Interview>

"Through the members of the Community Child Protection Committee (CCPC), I realized the importance of education. I want to continue supporting Nancy's education."

However, this requires increasing income. I told her uncle that cocoa cultivation training is planned in the project and urged him to participate. Children who have been taken in by relatives due to the loss of their parents often engage in child labor or frequently skip school. During the interview, I noticed Nancy sitting with her back to her uncle. It may be difficult for her to express her true feelings within the family as an orphan, and she may have found it difficult to express her desire to continue studying. We will continue to monitor Nancy to ensure she doesn't return to child labor.

The future challenge for supporting school supplies and school meals is how to create a system that residents themselves can sustain. The recipients of school supplies are families economically unable to provide school supplies for their children. To ensure that such families can continue to afford what is necessary for their children's education even after the project ends, we plan to introduce training in cocoa cultivation and rice cultivation next year to increase income and create a safety net for such families throughout the community.

Regarding school meals, we aim to make it possible for families to cover meal expenses by improving household income through training and other means. Such activities are supported by your donations.

We ask for your continued support to protect the school lives of these children in the future.