School children in their new classroom. Run mouse over image to view playground.

Students living in the small community of Tanjamelia, in the district of Saboba Chereponi in Northern Ghana, are celebrating the completion of their new school. At a commemoration ceremony, children gathered with local dignitaries to commission the new school that was funded by Christian Children’s Fund of Canada (CCFC) and its local partner Tuma Kavi. The much needed $10,000 project will now serve over 120 children in Tanjamelia.

“We are giving children the environment they need to receive a basic education. Our hope is that there will be an 25% increase in the number of graduations and a 25% increase in academic achievement by junior level students,” said Sanatu Nantogma, Country Director for CCFC Ghana, who spoke at the commemoration ceremony.

Before and after school building in Ghana. Run mouse over image to view new building.

This new school brings an array of opportunity for children living in Tanjamelia. The school boasts a number of fully furnished classrooms, a lunchroom and a playground. CCFC’s goal is to promote pre-school education and improve the academic performance of over 900 children in five nurseries, five primary schools and two junior secondary schools (JSS) in nine communities.

“80 percent of Ghanaian children between the ages four and five living in the Northern regions are usually not in school. There is no adequate classroom space, no desks or chairs, a lack of teaching and learning materials, poor or no recreational/play equipment to stimulate children and poor or no pre-school feeding program,” says Katumi Fuseini, project leader for CCFC’s partner organization Tuma Kavi. “These problems pose a threat to child development and education as a whole this is why this program is so important."

Thanks to generous CCFC supporters the children of Northern Ghana now have the tools they need to break the cycle of poverty.