December 3, 2019

I am so excited to share some special Framework International news with you, and I can hardly wait! But before I do, I want to ask you a question:

How much do you think it costs to build an elementary school in the United States?

What’s your guess? $1 million … $6 million … maybe even $9 million dollars?

What if I told you that in 2014, the median elementary school in the United States, which was designed for 624 students and encompassed 84,700 square feet, cost over $16 million to build. 

That’s nearly $44,000 per student! 

I have another question for you. 

How much do you think it costs to build a Framework International school?

Any guesses?

The cost for us to build a three-room primary school in Ghana is $40,000, or to build a six-room school is $60,000. Our schools serve 200 to 400 students respectively, are a lot less square footage, but let’s do the math. 

The price per student to build a Framework school … is only $200!

And a Framework International school, transforms its community!

Now the special news… .  We’ve been asked to build a seventh school! And of course, we enthusiastically said, “YES!” to the Zeemboug Primary School in northern Ghana.

The Yakote Women Farmers, one of our strategic partners, told us of the great need this rural village has for a school. Right now, their lower primary-aged students are using two crudely-built mud huts for their classrooms, and their upper primary students are studying “under the trees” outdoors. This is truly “rural” schooling!

Upper primary students learning in their outdoor classroom.

Lower primary student's mud hut classroom.

Zeemboug needs a three-room primary school. And the cost to build them one, is just $40,000. This includes the school structure and the interior outfitting of it.

To even begin construction on this school, however, we must have raised 50% of its construction costs – that’s $20,000! That may not seem like a lot to those of us who’ve tackled any kind of home remodeling project, but to us – a volunteer run organization – it’s huge! And it’s needed urgently now … so we can start right away on its construction.

You see, we have a rainy season in Ghana in which to contend with – April to September. That means building can only occur January to March and again starting in October. The goal is to have a completed school by November. We basically have four months to build Zeemboug their primary school. We can’t delay!

• January/February – Break ground and lay foundation
• March – Build the main structure
• October – Install doors and outfit the classrooms 
• November – Sword ceremony celebrating its opening!

What will happen to the education of these students if they don’t have a structure to keep them dry and safe during their rainy season? Zeemboug can get torrential rains and winds, flash flooding. And the snakes and critters … having school outside or in a hut without a door, allows all kinds of creepy crawlies to invade!

A three-room Framework school is needed in Zeemboug now. And for many of the students, this is the only education they will ever receive! Because to continue past the free primary education the government provides, parents will have to pay for it. And for families who earn less than a $2.00 a day … paying the cost for additional schooling is unattainable.

Will you please consider a gift of $200 to pay the building cost for one child of Zeemboug Primary School? Perhaps you can pay for two children at $400, or even three children at $600! Whatever the amount you can give to build this school, please know that 100% of your gift goes directly it. One … hundred … percent!

Your gift is truly transformative to this village who so desperately needs an educational home for their children. Please give a gift to Zeemboug’s future – for their children to have a school.

Yours in empowering Ghana’s youth,

Seth Prickett

Framework Founder and Board chair 

P.S. The cost to build an entire three-room school is Ghana is less than what we pay per student in the United States! Your money goes far in Ghana … and makes an immediate and real difference in the lives of its primary-aged students. Framework has a proven and successful team in place and we can get started right now on building Zeemboug their primary school, if we had the money. Please consider a gift today. Thank you!

*Cost to build an elementary school in the United States found at www.spaces4learning.com