GEC Parent Microgrant Initiative

Dear GEC community,

Thank you for your continued support of our projects- including the Parent Micgrogrant Initiative, which helps enrolled GEC families receive start-up funding or ongoing support in the form of micro-grants, to be used to start or grow a family business and contribute to our whole-family and whole-child approach for creating long-term change.

As part of the initiative, we also offer consistent guidance to parents and families on money management, especially in regard to GEC funding. As valued donors, we want to share some updates on our project!

GEC and Matie Masie’s (our Ghanaian board) June 2022 parent meeting was held on June 19th at University Staff Village Basic School. The meeting included the topics of regular Parent- Teacher engagement, budgeting, and finances/ expenses tracking. Our program manager, Derrick, discussed with the parents the importance of the role of parent-teacher engagement and how it can improve the overall academic and social well-being of their children both at home and in school. We believe that regular face-to-face engagements with teachers inspire parents to spend more time assisting their children and monitoring their school work. Tunde, a Matie Masie board member, also discussed with the parents the topic of money management and budgeting. They went over and reflections and feedback from the last session, and many parents shared that they would love budgeting workshops to be incorporated into programming.

GEC and Matie Masie’s September 2022 parent meeting was held on September 18th at the University Staff Village Basic School. The meeting included topics like  Boundaries in Parent-Child Relationships,  GEC parents grants, and the academic performance of students. Derrick shared with the parents how they can bolster their child's development by setting boundaries in pursuing a better parent-child relationship. We believe parents creating healthy boundaries in parent-child relations can be seen as instilling daily rules and routines. Predictability reduces uncertainty, and that reduces anxiety. One parent shared that while a parent needs to create a secure environment, it is extremely important for children's feelings/emotions to be heard and validated. The second part of the meeting reviewed the purpose of the microgrant initiative and walked parents through the application process. 

We are so grateful to be able to support our kids by also supporting their parents. We can be a source of guidance and community only because of the support from our donors. We could not do it without you!

Have a restful holiday season.

With love from the GEC family.

Links:

• Check out our website for more updates!