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Cod – Kitase Education Project The "Cape Cod - Kitase Education Project" (CCKEP) is Ghana Wisdom Foundation's first large scale fund raising project. The campaign will span a year and a half's time and hopefully will include support from hundreds of Cape residents, businesses, schools, churches and organizations. Simply put, the project has two aims: 1) To raise the funds needed to provide a Ghanaian village (Kitase) with a brighter future through education, and 2) To get Cape Cod schools, businesses, organizations, churches, and residents informed and ultimately involved with the project. As the Cape community learns more about Kitase, hopefully it will be moved to help Kitase's young population learn in general. In the end, both communities will be better off because of each other. To learn more about CCKEP, click on the links below. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
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Why Cape Cod, USA and Kitase, Ghana?
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Sincerely, Miles Macleod |
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| Pictures from left to right. 1) Cape resident, and GWF co-founder, Miles Macleod takes a picture with Wisdom Academy students in 2005. 2) Plywood walls disappear frequently, especially during the rain season. 3) Macleod and other volunteers apply a fresh coat of paint to the old nursery building. Project Overview: The “Cape Cod - Kitase Education Project” (CCKEP) is a fundraising project initiated by The Ghana Wisdom Foundation (GWF) that aims to raise money and resources within the Cape Cod community for the improvement and sustainability of Wisdom Academy, a private school located in Kitase, Ghana. With help from local schools, businesses, churches, organizations, and citizens GWF hopes to raise up to $100,000 in order to provide an entire village with an education that will serve as the vehicle to break the chain of poverty that has crippled their community for so long. GWF is vigorously seeking numerous fundraising venues in an attempt to creatively inspire the people of Cape Cod to come together and give another community a future it could otherwise not achieve. Through this project we also wish to create a reciprocal relationship between the two communities, in particular the schools that call them home. Finally, we hope to end the fundraising campaign with a banquet that would bring the people of Ghana and Cape Cod together for a final celebration. Seeds of CCKEP:
Although Ghana is considered by many the model of democracy and
stability in West Africa, it still remains a developing country that struggles
mightily to pull itself out of the crutches of poverty. Ghana’s
own government has recognized the important role that education must play
in the country’s future development, and has put much time and money
into the country’s education reform. However, the money put forth
by the government of a country that is riddled in economic impasse has
not and can not be stretched past the cities and into the rural villages
of the country. Today, over 70 percent of Ghana’s impoverished reside
in rural areas like Kitase (The International Fund for Agricultural Development
(IFAD)). And so the village communities remain largely unnoticed, underdeveloped,
and undereducated, the latter making the chances for improvement in the
other areas nearly impossible. It has been estimated that rural schools
such as Wisdom Academy, will see less than 20% of their students pursue
an education past Primary (Elementary) School. Another study showed that
in Sub-Saharan Africa the average number of years a student stays in school
is only 6.8, the lowest in the world by region (The World Bank). Through
the funding provided by CCKEP vital projects can be accomplished including,
but not limited to, the construction of modern learning facilities to
house a nursery, a kindergarten, a Primary School, a Middle School, and
a Secondary (High) School, and the purchase of resources for teachers,
staff, students, clubs, electives, and a even a computer class. Studies
have shown these improvements will help the future of the Kitase kids
tremendously. |
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| Above pictures: 1) Prince works on his homework after school. 2) A group of young girls wait by the entrance to Wisdom Academy's school grounds. 3) Cape resident, Miles Macleod, plays soccer with his student after school. About Wisdom Academy: As the source for our vision and the namesake of our foundation, the choice of making Wisdom Academy our first partner school, was an easy one. Wisdom Academy has many of the things most parents envy in a school: an inspired proprietor, dedicated teachers and staff, a sound curriculum, and an informed PTA. In six short years Wisdom Academy has gone from a one room school with a student body totaling five to the model for all learning institutions in the Akwapem South School District, with a present student body of over 300 students. However, in a developing country like Ghana there are some things that even the best teachers and staff can't provide. Computer classes can only be so effective when the pupil to computer ratio is a staggering 354 to 1 and the school lacks electricity; field trips become few and far between when the school has barely enough funding to pay teachers' salaries; and lessons can only be so active when the walls that separate your class from the other six classes have fallen down making noise restrictions a must. That is why GWF considers it a privilege to make Wisdom Academy our first ever partner school and to include them in our first ever large scale funding project. To learn more about Wisdom Academy and its partnership with GWF visit http://www.ghanawisdom.org/WisdomOverview.htm |
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Prioritized
Projects: Below is
a prioritized list of the various projects that will make up the “Cape
Cod – Kitase Education Project.” Prices are included. To see descriptions of each of these projects go to the Donate Now page and click on the project you are interested in. |
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| Pictures from left to right: 1) The lack of desks and chairs at Wisdom Academy is clearly seen in this picture. 2) Red Sox nation stretches across the Atlantic and into the tiny village of Kitase. 3) Young students' first experience with stickers. Why Cape Cod, USA and Kitase, Ghana? (As told by Miles Macleod, Dennis-Yarmouth, Class of 2000) After graduating from college I decided to travel to Kitase, Ghana in the winter of 2005 to volunteer teach for a semester. As an aspiring teacher myself, I was inspired by the proprietor of the school I had been assigned to teach at (Wisdom Academy). Here was a man, not much older than I, that literally had nothing except a vision to make a difference in his country by educating the rural poor. Within five short years his school had grown from a small rented room with only five students, to a school with two separate buildings, 12 teachers and staff, and 350 happy and hardworking students. I was amazed at what one person could do when they were equipped with a vision, passion, and a lot of hard work. When I returned home I decided to try my luck using the same methodology and so I co-founded The Ghana Wisdom Foundation. One of the first tasks of GWF was making Wisdom Academy a partner school and together creating a detailed overview of the problems and needs facing the school along with a plan to alleviate those problems and fulfill those needs. The biggest obstacle facing us was obvious – funding. And together we set out on a quest for money. This is what we learned…the US Government rarely give money to small overseas projects, larger organizations and foundations rarely give money to infant organizations with plans for construction, and mega-corporations liked to keep their good deeds in the public eye, or at the very least within the community they serve. And so it was facing these bleak prospects that we decided to take our vision to the backbone of America, the small community. The Cape was a logical first choice. It is where I was born, raised, and live. It is filled with teachers and townspeople who had helped me in the past. Filled with small businesses and trades people that appreciate the value of a dollar. Scattered around were friends, family, and old acquaintances that I knew I could turn to. In fact, the Cape is where GWF’s first “Teach in Ghana” volunteer is from. And so it was settled, I would bring my vision to the Cape. If this fundraising campaign is successful the people of Cape Cod will be responsible for giving Kitase a modern learning facility that could compete with international standards and provide the young people of the village with an exceptional education and thus a future that was once unattainable. Why You Should Help: |
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Above pictures: 1) Sir Wanda teaches Class 1. 2) Wisdom's sign. 3) Already CCKEP has helped Wisdom Academy achieve its first goal - securing transportation for commuting students. Who Can Help? Anyone and everyone on Cape can chip in and help. For most Americans it is difficult to fathom how far even 5 dollars can go in a country like Ghana, and so they are reluctant to offer their humble donations. However, for as little as $0.55 you can buy a cement block that will help build the foundation for an entire school, for five dollars you can purchase a textbook that will serve as a valuable educational tool for years to come, and for only 18 dollars you can buy a desk and a chair. From coins to thousand dollar donations – all are welcome and appreciated. For those without money to spare, they can ask about donating resources or time to the “Cape Cod – Kitase education Project.” How Can You Help? The needs of Wisdom Academy are many and our means of achieving such an all-encompassing project reflect those needs. We at GWF have racked our brains to come up with different ways that different Cape schools, businesses and residents can contribute to the project in their own special ways. Below you will find an overview of some ideas of how you can contribute...
Businesses: The
Cape has always been a community that has relied on the small business,
avoiding the onslaught of mega-corporations that has affected other areas.
GWF will turn to these same small businesses that have offered
help and friendly service to the generations of Cape residents. GWF has
made it possible for the different businesses on Cape to personalize their
donations by matching them with their interests. GWF plans on handing out 3,000 business cards by CCKEP's completion. On each card will be only one web address, directing interested Cape citizens to the "Who Has Helped" page, providing free advertising for those businesses who do donate. We are continuously seeking incentives for Cape businesses to donate and are more than happy to take suggestions. Below are the many ways
that different businesses can help. Churches: Churches have
forever served as the backbone of small communities as well as a launch
pad for foreign aid. GWF hopes partnerships with Cape churches will lead
to advertisement and funding opportunities, as well as possible volunteer
opportunities for Cape residents. Organizations:
GWF has a strong desire to work with other local organizations
to help achieve our goals. We will actively seek “partner organizations”
on the Cape to collaborate with. School organizations are equally valued
in this project as we wish to foster long-term collaborative relationships
with Cape schools. Residents: Nothing
is more important to a community than the people who call it home. Perhaps
our biggest obstacle then, is finding ways to get everyone involved. We
will seek numerous advertising venues (radio, cable, print) that are reasonably
within our limited budget but ultimately hope that good old-fashioned
“word of mouth” serves its purpose in the Cape community.
Just as important as “How can you help?” is the question,
“Do you know of anyone who might be interested in helping?”
For those who are intersected, there are a number of things you
can do: 1) sign up to become a member. The larger our Cape members numbers
are the better chance we have of securing Cape business donations. 2)
Donate. Remember, non-monetary funds are always welcome as well. 3) Donate
yourself. If you would like to go to Ghana to either teach or build we
can arrange it for you. Other: In June of 2008, Mr. Kennedy Aboagye will make his way to America for the first time to attend a GWF wedding. During his brief stay, it is GWF’s desire to hold a final fundraising banquet to celebrate the end of this funding campaign. Much of this event’s success relies on the level of interest garnered throughout the year, and so details are very few at this time. It is our desire, however, to bring the Cape community together to celebrate in our achievement. Questions and comments about this banquet can be directed to milesmacleod@ghanawisdom.org Thank you for your interest in the "Cape Cod - Kitase Education Project" If you would like to Donate Now just click on the link.
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