EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Youth Education Program

English literacy is necessary to access information and to communicate with people beyond the small area where the local language is spoken.  Thus, the future of the village lies with few individuals who communicate effectively in English, particularly those who obtain their education outside of the village.

GHEI is currently working with thirty two promising Junior Secondary School (JSS) students (12 JSS Form 1, 12 JSS Form 2 and 8 JSS Form 3), providing supplementary English and critical thinking skills classes. Students were nominated for the GHEI English Classes by their previous Primary School Headmasters and were selected based on motivation, leadership skills, enthusiasm for helping others, and financial need.

The students are enrolled in an intensive course designed to supplement the existing curriculum.  Each class (JSS Form 1, Form 2 and Form 3) meets for two hours twice a week for classes focusing on English proficiency, including English Grammar, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Public Speaking, etc.  As classes are delivered in English, additional subjects are also taught, as they help the students practice English listening and speaking skills.  The curriculum is set by the Education Project staff and past subjects have included Computer Skills, Political Theory, Poetry, Geography, Anatomy of the Eye, Letter Writing, Human Rights, etc.  In order to keep students active and involved, monthly exams are given, and GHEI also tracks the students' JSS performance in school.   

In addition to English classes, the JSS students are required to do community service. Students come to work on projects every Sunday afternoon after church. The work is overseen by GHEI staff and is aimed at developing the students’ awareness of their environment and developing a sense of responsibility for its upkeep. Specific tasks have included tending to plants and sweeping of the area near the Community Centre, repair of broken fences, weeding and rubbish removal to help reduce the number of mosquitoes and therefore prevent the spread of malaria, as well as decorating the Community Centre itself. Once the JSS Form 3 students have completed their BECEs they join the Form 3 YPEs to embark on the GHEI Youth Leadership Training Program. The program is designed to utilize and improve upon the skills they have learnt at GHEI. The first phase begins with a newsletter documenting what they as students see as some of the challenges that the people of Humjibre face and some ideas about how the community could work to resolve these problems. Following on from this, the students embark on a ‘Community Service Project’. This involves making decisions on the budgeting, design and implementation of a project to benefit the community at large. Previous projects have included the successful repair of the communal village well and construction of fencing round the Community Centre.

The program essentially seeks to broaden students’ experiences to prepare them for life after school. Many of the students had never even left the village so it was seen as highly beneficial to develop their understanding and curiosity for the world outside Humjibre that we organize Annual Field Trips to expose them to educational opportunities and career options. In February 2005, the GHEI English Program traveled to Kumasi University of Nature Science and Technology, and were given tours of the school's medical facilities. Then, last year, they were taken to the beach for their first sight of the sea.

Scholarship Program

Like students everywhere, the children of Humjibre are eager to learn. The biggest impediment to achieving their aims is finding the funds needed to continue their education from JSS to the crucial level of Senior Secondary School (SSS). SS Schools are fee-charging institutions. Additionally, as there are no SS Schools in Humjibre, students are required to pay board and lodging at the school. The cost of a year’s education at SSS ranges from $200 to $450, including fees, transport, food etc.

GHEI recognizes the difficulties families face in funding their child’s education through farming alone. School fees for one student at SSS are often over 50% of the family’s annual income. Stimulated by a wish to reward exceptional students who came through the GHEI program Brittany Ekendorf, a former volunteer, organized fundraising events to provide a subsidy for the students’ education in the form of a scholarship. Every student on the scheme receives $180 per year for the three years of their SSS education. We have also now expanded the scheme to incorporate students from the community who did not benefit from GHEI teaching. There are currently nineteen students that are benefiting from the Scholarship Scheme. However, considering the poverty of the area and the constraints on GHEI funding, many able students are still unable to fulfill their education potential.

Would you like to sponsor a child through Senior Secondary School? Just $720 will help a student to achieve his or her potential. Visit our fundraising pages to find out how you can help..    

NEWS:   The government has just announced that SSS education will be for four years rather than three, as previously. Although a welcome change in terms of the education provided to students at a secondary level, this will increase the burden further on students’ families.

Community Library

The GHEI Humjibre Community Library re-opened its doors in September 2007 in a brand-new building built with the co-operation and support of the community. There are currently over 1300 titles covering subjects such as Math’s, Science and Nature Studies, Ghanaian and African Studies, Politics, African Literature, Children’s Story Books, Children’s Picture Books, English Language Fiction, Foreign Language Fiction, Women's Studies, Health Studies, as well as a wide selection of JSS, SSS and Primary School textbooks.

The Library is currently open seven days a week (Weekdays 6pm - 9pm, Weekends: 2pm - 7pm) and is available to all members of the community. All library operations are managed in a team effort by GHEI officers, the Humjibre Library Committee and Rosina Duodu, the Librarian. Book procurement is an ongoing project associated with the library. We are hoping to expand the library's offerings considerably, through book purchases and donations from organizations within Ghana and abroad. The library is a highly successful part of our operations: we now have over a thousand titles and the library continues to be heavily patronized, especially by students from the local JSS.

GHEI Teachers are encouraged to be available for questions at the library and we all enjoy teaching in this informal manner. However, one of the most pleasing aspects we have noted during the development of the library has been the willingness of students to teach each other. We seek to encourage this by providing as many materials (blackboard, chalk, paper and pens) as we can afford.

Computer Center

Basic Computer Training Classes began May 9th, 2005, with an initial class of seven students. Computer training is offered to all community members and requires pre-registration and a registration fee of 5,000 cedis (approximately 50 cents) to ensure attendance. The curriculum includes eight two-hour classes delivered over two weeks (5pm - 7pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings), and regular practice sessions (Weekdays 3pm – 5pm, Weekends 3pm – 7pm). The computer center moved into an expanded space following the opening of the new library block and this allowed room for ten working computers and a whiteboard for instruction.

The curriculum hopes to cover all aspects of computer usage. For example, the Basic Course covers Hardware, Software, Mouse Maneuvers, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Word - File Menu, Edit Menu, Formatting, and a brief introduction to Internet Explorer. The Computer Centre is staffed entirely with members of the local community: Douglas Asihene, Manager and Course Instructor, and Cudjoe Eric, Practice Session Supervisor.

Due to lack of facilities, students are not taught about computers until they reach SSS. Even at this point, it is taught only theoretically as most schools have no access to computers. As proficiency in Information Communication Technology (ICTs) becomes increasingly important, students in rural areas of Ghana are falling further behind. We seek to redress this imbalance by introducing every student at JSS to computers through a structured program of lessons and supervised practice sessions.

Are you thinking about replacing your computer?  Your old laptop will be well-loved in Humjibre!  To donate, please e-mail Rickard@ghei.org to make arrangements.    

Tutoring Center

The GHEI Tutoring Centre opened its doors on January 14th, 2007, and was focused on providing extra tuition to JSS 3 students who have the most important set of examination of their lives in April/May. The exams are called the BECEs and determine whether the student will be able to go to SSS and, equally importantly, which School they will be allocated. GHEI Teachers concentrate on the four core BECE subjects (English, Math’s, General Science and Social Studies) as success in those determines which School they will eventually attend. The Tutoring Centre is held every weekday night and sometimes on Sundays in the GHEI Humjibre Community Hall from 8pm – 9.30pm and has been well-attended by students keen to succeed in their upcoming exams.

Agricultural Lecture Series

Increasing Cocoa Yields:   GHEI is seeking to help Humjibre farmers increase their productivity. Currently, the average yield per acre of cocoa farm is relatively low (4 bags). After meeting with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) District Office in August 2005, we invited experts to lecture the farmers on scientific farming methods. This included proper application of fertilizers, fungicides and pesticides, as well as good practice in spacing and trimming the cocoa trees.

Micro Credit:   GHEI is seeking to help Humjibre farmers increase their productivity. Currently, the average yield per acre of cocoa farm is relatively low (4 bags). After meeting with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) District Office in August 2005, we invited experts to lecture the farmers on scientific farming methods. This included proper application of fertilizers, fungicides and pesticides, as well as good practice in spacing and trimming the cocoa trees.

Livelihood Diversification:   Excessive reliance on one cash crop is a notoriously perilous business. The rains could fail the farmer in any given year. The price of cocoa, set by the government and rarely in line with world prices, could descend below the rate of inflation. GHEI have therefore been seeking alternative methods of resource generation for the village farmers. GHEI invited personnel from MoFA to lecture interested farmers on passion fruit cultivation. They allayed farmers’ fears over marketability of the crop by showing them proof that this fruit was used in many local and international fruit drinks. MoFA provided seeds and instruction on their cultivation. GHEI then sought assurance of market share from Ashanti Gold Company in Bibiani, who are currently assisting farmers in the cultivation and sale of this crop as part of their social development responsibilities. GHEI hopes that this association will negate the recurrent difficulties local farmers have with marketing their produce.

Career Opportunity Lecture Series

In Humjibre, there are relatively few visible occupations that students can aspire to. GHEI continually seeks role models in order to provide inspiration and advice on possible career paths. We therefore have periodically invited members of the community that have ‘made it’. Students from the local Primary and JSS schools, as well as increasingly adult members of the community, stream down to the Community Hall to hear speakers’ success stories and encouraging messages. Past speakers have included a local entrepreneur, a bank manager, a Ghanaian doctor and a female teacher/politician. We continue to search for speakers to contribute to this important and successful program.