Education: Inspiring Stories
Fiona Marra – Let us Shine, Ghana
When Fiona Marra, a Scottish pharmacist from Glasgow, was working in the education sector in Ghana in 2004, she dreamed of helping the children of Ghana. Fiona’s passion and dream of universal education for all was made a reality when she founded Let Us Shine Africa, a Scottish charity dedicated to providing opportunities in education, training, investment and access to employment for some of the poorest children in Africa. Let us Shine is located on a 12 acre plot of land in Kpandai, a very rural area in Northeast Ghana (10 hours away from Accra). Let us Shine is located in rural Ghana where educational assistance and schooling is most needed; the school focuses on female education and a primary level girls boarding school with 5 classes helps rural Ghanaian girls reach high potential. Fiona has helped efforts to build Let us Shine’s projects which included classrooms, a 100 child boarding house with volunteer accommodation, large kitchen and storage area, dining/study area and toilet and shower block. The lands surrounding Let us Shine’s buildings and sports areas is used for farming to feed students, staff, and volunteers. Fiona’s efforts have helped young girls in Ghana to obtain necessary skills for achievement so they may attend university or develop a more skills based future for them. This way, these girls can build a better future for themselves, their families and help build their nation with their skills and educational experiences.
Molly Melching – Tostan, Senegal
When Molly Melching came to Senegal in the mid 1970s as a Peace Corps volunteer in Dakar, she saw that many efforts for development were not effectively helping the community members. Molly decided to engage local communities in the process utilizing the local language and learning process to make it more effective. Her efforts formulated the basis for her non-profit organization, Tostan. By focusing on education and utilizing the local African people to implement educational programs, Tostan’s efforts have brought success and hope for communities centered around development and human rights for social change. Tostan still uses Molly’s community engagement model and aims to educate and empower African communities that do not have access to formal education so the communities are sustainable and support basic human rights. By engaging the local communities, their efforts to help improve their local living conditions are working effectively. Tostan’s educational programs have helped transform African villages, by stopping some practices of child and forced marriage and female genital cutting, empowering women and girls through education, improving math and literacy skills, sustaining the environment, protecting maternal and child health, and preventing and treating malaria.
Michael Gondwe – Museums of Malawi, Malawi
Michael Gondwe, a Tumbuka from Northern Malawi, serves as the National Education Coordinator for the Museums of Malawi and the Regional Chair for the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture’s HIV/AIDS Programme. Michael holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Museum and Heritage Studies from the University of the Western Cape. Michael’s duties as an education coordinator help facilitate education and cultural awareness of Malawi. Michael believe that museums are the center of culture and education and so has developed initiatives for creating new programs. He has initiated a program for a mobile museum to reach children attending school in rural areas. Other programs Michael has been involved in include HIV/AIDS education and awareness, Malaria awareness, and an Arts awareness program. Each of these programs has proven to be informative and helpful to bring awareness and prevention for the diseases that affect Malawi the most. By working to promote Malawi’s cultural activities and arts, Michael is serving as in important player in helping use culture and education as a tool to develop Malawi while preserving its traditions.
The Smile Foundation, India
http://www.smilefoundationindia.org/aboutus.htm
In 2002 a group of professionals formed the Smile Foundation with the goal to support local initiatives in providing educational and health opportunities for children that need it most. The Smile Foundation’s efforts helps support the “education for all” foundation so that children can be part of the economic mainstream and help be productive individuals in the future by supporting their country and community. The Smile Foundation’s Mission Education Program works with children in many challenging issues including child workers, the poorest children, HIV/AIDS children, street kids, those suffering from disabilities, and children living in slums. The Smile Foundation works with many partners to accomplish their goals and help educate those children in India that need it most. One of many projects includes a partnership with Rasta, an organization that focuses on assisting marginalized children in India. The Smile Foundation and Rasta’s collaboration includes education for girls in the urban slums of East Delhi, by providing them with educational opportunities and skills to lead a better life in India.
Appleseeds Academy, Israel
Appleseeds Academy was created in 2000 to provide technology training for individuals in underserved communities in Israel, and is a certified academy of international companies such as Intel, Microsoft and Cisco. Appleseeds seeks to bridge the gap between communities that do not have access to technology or training so these people can overcome the obstacles that often hinder advancement and better job opportunities. Appleseeds Academy trains nearly 70,000 individuals a year at over 300 centers in Israel and they help these people enter into the most technology savvy situations and careers. Their main focus is employment training, youth empowerment through technology, operating Community Knowledge Centers, professional development for teachers, welfare programs for youth at risk, and technology courses. Through these initiatives, advancement opportunities for beneficiaries are immense.
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