The Rotary Club of Nanaimo along with local and international partners is funding the renovation of a dilapidated kindergarten block at the Nsoatre Primary School to provide a safe, secure learning environment for the teachers and young students. Nsoatre Roman Catholic Primary and Junior High School is a publicly funded school located in the town of Nsoatre (population approx. 28,000), in the Bono region, northwest of the city of Sunyani, Ghana, West Africa. The project is focussing on the installation of sinks and ten micro flush toilets, the building of a fence around the kindergarten block, provision of educational equipment and supplies, and training/professional development for the teachers to help address recruitment and retention of teachers and students and improve learning outcomes for kindergarten-aged children. The school is under the general supervision of the Ghana Education System. The District Education Directorate, a department of the Sunyani West Municipal Assembly, provides local supervision.
In 2019, the Rotary Club of Sunyani East conducted a Community Needs Assessment in collaboration with the school and the District Assembly and identified a compelling need for this project. As a result, the Rotary Club of Sunyani East, the Rotary Club of Nanaimo and the Sunyani West Municipal Assembly entered a shared commitment to the successful completion and ongoing sustainability of this very important humanitarian project.
The primary school is located on a large site and consists of an old kindergarten block and a newer primary block. The kindergarten block consists of two separate buildings that contain four classrooms, offices, and storage. The kindergarten is in significant need of repair and upgrading. The four classrooms have dirt floors, lack proper/secure windows and doors, and there are holes in the roof. The teachers use old blackboards and many of the wooden desks are broken. The exterior of the kindergarten block is also in need of repair and upgrade including walls, windows, doors and metal roof sheeting.The kindergarten block is actively in use but the building is near-collapse and is a significant risk to pupils and teachers. There is currently only a single pit latrine for use by the entire student population; the KVIP (Kumasi Ventilated Improved Pit) toilet is located in the bushes at a distance from the kindergarten block. There is minimal protection to the children or teachers from the elements and the school is often subject to vandalism and wandering livestock. The dust from the dirt floor poses a significant health risk.
Many of the desks in the kindergarten block are broken and require replacement. The blackboard is old and in disrepair. There are no whiteboards or computers, and few textbooks. Due to these conditions, parents are reluctant to bring their young children to the school and teachers are reluctant to teach in the kindergarten block. This had a significant negative impact on the quality of education and to the students’ learning outcomes.
Through this project, the kindergarten block is being renovated to provide a safe, secure learning environment for the teachers and young students. Renovations include: replacing the current dirt floors with concrete floors, repairing the block walls, repairing and replacing windows and doors, replacing sheeting and repairing structural timbers in the roof. The current pit toilet will be replaced with a latrine block with piped water, 10 micro-flush toilets and sinks for washing hands. To protect the renovated kindergarten block from wandering livestock and vagrants using the school buildings (including open defecation) outside of school hours, the project also includes the construction of a concrete wall around the perimeter of the kindergarten block. Following the completion of renovations, the school administration will be able to provide hygiene education that promotes healthy behaviors such as hand washing, safe disposal of human waste, safe water storage and proper menstrual hygiene for both teachers and the kindergarten and primary students. The program will identify factors that prevent or encourage positive behaviors and will describe how to address barriers.
The Rotary Club of Nanaimo committed up to $41,000 CAD towards the Nsoatre Primary School Kindergarten Block Renovation Global Grant Project. The project budget is just under $79,000 CAD. Other funders include the host Rotary club (Sunyani East), the International Club (Nanaimo including $2,500 CAD for the Mid-Island International Service Group), Nanaimo Oceanside, Nanaimo Daybreak, the District Dedicated Fund and the Rotary International World Fund.
The project was completed in June 2022! View photos here.