Have you ever watched the beacon of a lighthouse shine into the darkness as it guides ships to safety offering hope to anyone in its path? I feel our donors are like those lighthouses, offering beacons of hope to the children of Ghana.
We received very good news this summer. The District Assembly in Amasaman, the regional government, is building this high school only a quarter of a mile from St. Paul’s Primary and Junior Secondary schools. I was shocked and delighted at the same time. When we opened the preschool in 2007, I never imagined that 9 years later this village would have a Preschool, Kindergarten, Primary, Secondary and now High School! It is truly a miracle.
The new computer lab at the Primary and Middle School (Junior Secondary School) is the other miracle. Thanks to Redeemer Episcopal Church in Sarasota and Every Village Computer Organization, St. Paul’s received 15 computers and a laptop all equipped with educational software suitable for grades K1 to 12. With this addition to the curriculum, St. Paul’s will finally have the tools they need to prepare junior secondary students to pass the high school entrance exam.
Mabel was one of the first three-year-olds to attend St. Paul’s Preschool, our first building project. Every time I met her she had a huge smile. Several summers as I would say my last good-bye, she would turn her head to hide the tears rolling down her sweet little face. I would end up running over to give her another big hug and tell her I would see her again soon.
Mabel is now 12 going into the seventh grade. In 2018, she will finish middle school just as the new high school is ready to open,We Need We but Mabel’s parents cannot afford the $250 – $400 associated fe
es for school. This situation will be repeated over and over for girls in the village. Many girls will become carriers, carrying heavy loads on their heads at a market. Some will sell water or other goods hoping to earn money for school. Too often, these girls find themselves taken advantage of and pregnant.
The Beacon of Hope Scholarship is being created to give two to four girls the opportunity to attend high school each year. Our goal is to raise $25,000 for the Beacon of Hope Scholarship Endowment Fund.