Hands-on computer classes for 1,800 Ghana children

We are delighted to announce that we have received a donation from the technology company, Nokia, to enable us to scale up our project to reach 1,800 children in three more regions of Ghana.

We started working with just 450 children attending rural schools in Volta Region. In 2014 your support through GlobalGiving helped 212 children to pass their computer exams, opening the doors to secondary school and improving the children’s chances in life.

This achievement led Nokia to select our project for presentation at a fundraising event held in Berlin in November 2014, to demonstrate Nokia’s commitment to technology that meets real human need. .

The Nokia grant enables EIFL to extend the project to three more regions of Ghana, where public libraries will reach over 1,000 more children. We will also continue our commitment to children in Volta Region, by providing Volta Regional Library with additional computers.

“Our experience with Volta Regional Library has shown that libraries can offer a cost-effective and sustainable model for providing access to technology and improving education in rural schools. We thank Nokia and GlobalGiving UK for their confidence in our programme, and welcome the opportunity to expand the project to three more regions in Ghana.

“We also again thank the many individual EIFL supporters and partners who supported the ‘Hands on Computer Classes For 450 Ghana Children’ project,” said EIFL Director, Rima Kupryte.

During the last week of February 2015, EIFL staff visited Ghana to meet with major stakeholders. The meetings have built a strong platform to take forward our expanded project, which is named Hands On Computer Classes for 1,800 Ghana Children.

“You have opened the doors to learning, and Ghana’s children in three more regions will not be left behind in this digital era," said Kwaku Ofosu-Tenkorang, Executive Director, Ghana Library Authority.

“From everyone at the library, the teachers and most of all, the children, thank you to everyone who has supported us. Please accept our best wishes for the festive period and the New Year.” – Alikem Tamakloe, head of Volta Regional Library.

 With your support, 212 children have passed their exams, opening opportunities to progress to secondary school and to brighter futures for them and their families.

 The children attend junior schools in under-developed parts of Ho municipality in Ghana. The schools are extremely poorly resourced: some have no electricity; none have computers or internet connections.

 Your support enables Volta Regional Library to travel to the schools in a van equipped with solar power, laptop computers and wi-fi internet, and to offer struggling children hands-on computer classes.

 Exam results for 2014 show what a difference the library’s classes are making: at Mawuli Junior High School 84% of students passed their computer exams; at Ziave Dzogbe Junior High School, 39% passed (up from just 6% in 2013); at Klefe Achatime school which took the exam for the first time, 39% of students passed.

 “There is still a long way to go, but it is thanks to the library that we are improving. The students were very excited to be able to answer the exam questions,” said ICT teacher, Charles Kloklo.

 The library’s mobile classes are in high demand. In the 2013/14 school year the library’s itinerary included five schools and just over 600 pupils. Now the library regularly visits 10 schools, reaching 1,400 pupils.

 “The children are always very enthusiastic seeing the library vehicle in their schools. We are struggling to keep up with demand, and the pressure on the computers is increasing. But we know that with support in the New Year we will have more computers to give more children a better chance in life,” said Mr Tamakloe.