Ghana: Helping Girls in Need
Gain an Education
Asonah Nma is a second grade student at
the Vea Primary School in the Upper East
region in Ghana. When she was younger,
Asonah was stricken with polio which
left her handicapped. Her father is a
farmer and her mother, a trader; occupations
which are held by the majority of people
in this part of the country. Bongo District
is one of the most deprived districts
in Ghana sharing its borders with Burkina
Faso in the north. Asonah’s family
is very poor and with four other siblings
in the family, there isn’t much
money to spare. With annual family incomes
of less than $40 and a literacy rate
of 30%, children here who find themselves
able to attend school are fortunate.
|
"I
like school a lot and want
to become a nurse," says
Asonah Nma, an AGSP scholar
in Ghana.
|
Asonah is one of these fortunate girls.
Chosen to be an AGSP scholar through
a transparent, participatory process
done in her community, Asonah is very
excited to be part of the program. "I
like school a lot and want to become
a nurse. For this, I have to work very
hard. I was given a bag, pencils, books,
uniforms, and a bicycle which my brother
rides me to school on. These things encourage
me to come to school every day," says
Asonah. The Headmaster of Asonah’s
school, Mr. Patrick Ababisa is very happy
that the AGSP is implemented in his school. "Without
this support, some of the girls would
have left school. Bongo district is much
in need," he says.
The Ambassadors’ Girls’ Scholarship
Program (AGSP) began in Ghana in January
2005 and has given over 3000 scholarships
to date. With a goal of retaining girls
in school, each scholarship covers essential
items that a girl in either primary or
junior secondary school would need to
be able to attend school for each academic
year. These include school uniforms,
books, school supplies, shoes, food for
school lunches, and in some cases, bicycles.
A program funded by the U.S. Agency for
International Development, the AGSP aims
to support girls through at least four
years of their education. AGSP scholars
are selected by a committee consisting
of traditional leaders, district health
and education personnel, NGO staff, and
other community leaders who review applications
and interview girls from the community
along with their parents/guardians.
The Ambassadors' Girls' Scholarship
Program
Through schooling, children are equipped
with knowledge skills that improve
the quality of their lives. Skills
such as reading and working with
numbers, as well as accurate information
on health and science, provide opportunities
to students that would otherwise
not exist. Unfortunately, in many
African communities, access to primary
and secondary schools is restricted
for young girls due to social, cultural,
and financial constraints.
One component of the U.S. President's
African Education Initiative (AEI)
is the Ambassadors Girls Scholarship
Program (AGSP). Funded through the
U.S. Agency for International Development,
AGSP is being implemented throughout
sub-Saharan Africa from 2004 - 2008.
World Education manages the program
in 12 West African countries in collaboration
with local NGOs. The AEI-AGSP supports
80,000 girls across the continent
each year (30,000 in West Africa
alone) who are economically disadvantaged,
handicapped, orphaned and/or affected
or infected by HIV and AIDS each
year in the form of scholarships
and mentoring. Many of the beneficiaries
would otherwise be out of school
or are at risk of dropping out. The
girls are sponsored over a period
of 4-5 years, through mostly primary
and some junior secondary schooling.
In addition, each girl enrolled in
the scholarship program is mentored
and encouraged in her educational
pursuits while participating in activities
that will focus on HIV mitigation
and prevention, and community participation
and democracy.
More
Features Stories...
|
