Our mission at the Akumaning-Brewu Foundation is to transform lives with the gift of education.  This year’s focus: improving access to technology & literacy.

I wanted to take the time to give everyone an update on the progress with our mission, the foundation, and the primary school in Assin-Nsuta, Ghana.

As many of you know, access to adequate educational resources in Africa can be tough.  According to Unesco’s Global Educational Monitoring report – over one third of young people in Sub-Saharan Africa fail to complete primary school and lack skills for work.  The limited access to adequate educational resources can span across many categories from books, electricity, water, facilities, certified teachers, security, and the list goes on.  If you look closely at the lack of technology resources, the picture looks even more challenging. Access to information and communication technology in primary schools can be scare in some parts of Africa – Pupil/Student rations can be seen ranging from as high as (300:1) to (50:1).

Over the last few years we’ve taken small, but important steps to bring technology literacy within the reach of many children in Nsuta, Ghana. Before you intervened, the school didn’t have a single device – we had a 250:0 pupil/computer ratio! With your help over the years, we’ve sent a total of 6 laptops and an iPad to the primary school. At one point the pupil/computer ratio was down to approximately 40:1.

We know we can do more. A few laptops to support hundreds of children in a remote village is not ideal.  In addition, the school’s population has expanded to 350, raising our pupil/computer ratio up to 50:1 (if you include the iPad).

I’m a happy to share that we’ve taken another positive step.

We have converted one of the school rooms into a computer lab and delivered 10 additional new desktop computers. This was only made possible a result of donations and assistance from family, friends, and contributions from technology corporations.I was blessed with the opportunity to visit the school and present the new touch-enabled desktops. I requested that the school name the Computer lab after my son – and the school agreed. Given his background as a computer engineer, commitment to this mission (and he funded a majority of the donation), the name “Elliot’s Computer Lab” was a perfect fit.

During my visit, I met with the Chief of Nsuta and his elders, the head teacher and his staff, local government & education officials, members of the Methodist Church, and citizens of Nsuta.  My message to the Chief and all assembled was that all stakeholders including the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) was simple:

• We must stress the importance of technology literacy (ICT), starting at an early age. Technology literacy is no longer a luxury, but an essential skill that all students need to be informed citizens, compete in the job market, or simply connect with the rest of the world. Parents, teachers, and students must prioritize these skills and we will do our best to partner with them along the way.
• We must secure the new computer lab for the safekeeping of the equipment and resources…but ensure liberal access and availability to all students with the passion to learn. It will be a difficult balancing act, but one we are ready to take on with the help of the dedicated staff.

The chief and the school leadership agreed and assured us that was what was going to happen.

Since I’ve returned to the US the school leadership has continued to work aggressively to secure, prepare, and configure the new machines for the upcoming school year.  The headmaster Rev. Moses Yaw Asiedu and IT teacher Obed Ntsiful are leading the rollout of the new lab in coordination with the PTA and Ghana Educational Services of the Central Region of Ghana.

Elliot was also able to visit the school earlier this month.  Although school was out of session for the summer, the students, teachers, and parents organized an event to preview the new computer lab to excite the students for the upcoming school year.

The excitement and energy around the new lab couldn’t be better. The students instantly began experimenting with the touch screens, asking questions, and trying to use new applications such as Microsoft Word and more.

What’s next?  Internet access! We’ve sent a router and antenna to the school to connect the lab to the rest of the world.  Another small step, we expect to share more as we make progress.

Step by step, we are thrilled to be part of a positive collaborative effort. The truth is that, any one of these children can play a critical role in future of Africa and the world. We cannot afford to let a single child fall into the cracks without learning basic computer skills.

Even if only one child walks out of this school to become a major success story and returns to support their community, we can call it a success.  But if you look at the excitement and the interest of the students, the sky is the limit.

It’s been a busy year, but we have so much more to do with your continued help & support.

Want to see more photos of our visit to Ghana?  Please visit our gallery to see the presentation of the new computers and the kids engage with the computers in the new Lab.