The hunt for a school begins

We started our hunt for schools in desperate need for reconstruction around the Kasoa area here in Ghana. Charles said he knew of a few around the area so we decided to start with those.

The first school we looked at was once built by a mining company that was using the area to extract granite for export. The area is called Fete Kekrebe, it is near the town of Fete so the meaning of the name is "little Fete". This school was by far in the best shape. There were some major problems with it like holes in the walls and broken roofing sheets but it just wasn't in dire enough condition to be the next school for Framework International to build/rebuild. One of the interesting things however was that the floor of the school was made up of crushed granite and cement! It kills me to see crushed up granite for as expensive as it is in the US, but I guess you use what you have...





The second school we looked at was the best, or "worst" school that we saw today. It is called Zion Primary and Nursery school. It was very similar to the school in Amanfro before we reconstructed it. It has dirt floors and no solid walls to keep out the wind or rain. The worst part of the school is the Kindergarten "KG" classrooms which are not classrooms at all. The school has constructed a network of sticks and branches that hold up palm branches that make up the roof of the school. This is the classroom designated for KG 1 and 2 because they are considered the least important. So the youngest and most vulnerable have to learn their ABCs outside.







The third school we looked at was a mix. They have a primary school as well as a junior high. Both of those schools are well built and fully sheltered but like the previous school, the KG classes bear the worst conditions. The KG portion of this school was in the same condition as the main Zion building.



All of these schools are "community schools" which means they were built by the community members but are staffed by government teachers and therefore the education is free.

I look forward to searching for more schools next week. I wish we could build them all, but because we have to start somewhere, I want to make sure the one we choose will have the greatest impact.