Children Believe, a child-focus Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), has commissioned a fully furnished Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centre at Abulu, a community in the Kassena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region.
The facility, intended to benefit children between four to five years, comprised teachers’ office, classrooms and lavatories and equipped with furniture, stationeries and a playground fitted with various types of play equipment.
The ECD centre was funded by Children Believe at an estimated cost of GHS650,000.00 and implemented by the Participatory Action for Rural Development Alternatives (PARDA), an NGO.
The centre is the sixth funded project by Child Believe in the Region and the 27th facility constructed in three years in all its operational areas.
Mrs Esenam Kavi De Souza, the Country Director, Children Believe, who commissioned the centre, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that it was intended to provide early learning opportunities for the children.
‘We reco
gnize that children need a conducive environment to learn, and early childhood education is one of the areas where government investment has been inadequate. That is why Children Believe, together with its partner, PARDA, decided to provide this Kindergarten (KG) facility,’ she said.
The facility would bridge the gap in early childhood education in the Abulu Community and its environs, Mrs De Souza said.
‘In all of the areas where we have provided these facilities, we have seen great improvement in the quality of education of children in Kindergarten. We have seen enrollment numbers doubling as the facilities are provided,’ she said.
Mrs De Souza called on the government to invest more in early childhood education, insisting that ‘until we get the foundation of our education right, every other investment we make as a nation will not yield the desired results, therefore, it is important that we start right.’
Dr Michael Wombeogo, the Executive Director of PARDA, said the motivation to undertake development
projects in the Kassena-Nankana West and Builsa North Municipal was based on the needs of the community members.
He recalled that apart from the newly furnished ECD centre, PARDA, with support from Child Believe, had constructed Child Welfare Centres, boreholes, furniture for basic schools and organized refresher training programmes for healthcare professionals and teachers in the two operational areas over the years.
‘We are continuing, as we get more funds, we will be able to support the needs of the people. We are supporting what the people want, that is the highest motivation and achievement for PARDA so far within the operational areas,’ he said.
Pastor Ebenezer Ayiwuuri, the Head teacher of the Abulu Primary School, said the newly constructed KG facility would be of great relief to the school as the pupils were accommodated in a mud structure constructed by the Parents Association.
He described the mud structure as a ‘death trap that could fall off at anytime.’
‘This forced us the teachers to put b
oth KG one and two in one classroom instead of the death trap in order to avoid any eventuality.’
Pastor Ayiwuuri said management of the school appealed to Children Believe through PARDA for the ECD centre, which stood as a testament to the power of collaboration, and the unwavering commitment to education.
‘We are deeply thankful to Children Believe for its dedication to our community and belief in the transformative power of education,’ he said.
This KG block represents more than just bricks and mortar; it symbolizes hope, opportunity and a brighter future for the young minds who will walk through its doors.’
Source: Ghana News Agency