It’s hard to believe that since my last letter to you I’ve been to Ghana and back! It was a jammed-packed travel week. But before I tell you about it, I want to start by saying – good things are happening at Framework schools! Your gifts are making a real difference in the lives of nearly 3,000 kids, who now have a Framework built school in which to learn. Being there, I was affirmed of this over and over again through the smiles of every child I met.
The first leg of my trip Kofi (our strategic Ghanaian building partner and my good friend) and I flew up north and spent a day checking out our two primary schools there – Jack Beu and Piitanga.
School enrollment at Piitanga is at 116, and enrollment at Jack Beu is swelling at 241! They are both rural schools, with Jack Beu (in Zeemboug) the more rural of the two. So why more than double the kids there? We visited Jack Beu with a school district representative and he told us that there are no other schools around. All nearby villages are sending their kids to Jack Beu – some from as far as 5 kilometers away (3.10 miles)! There is no bus or carpool, these kids are walking to school. That’s how much having access to school means to them.
I took my new drone on this trip and took videos of each school to share with you.
Click HERE or on the picture below and see drone footage of Piitanga Primary School.
Click HERE or on the picture below and see drone footage of Jack Beu Primary School.
A highlight of this northern trip was handing out soccer balls from the money we raised last year for this special project. Soccer is HUGE in Ghana and the kids were excited to have new equipment. In fact, as soon as the balls were given out, the kids started kicking them around!
We then visited the village of Edukuma, the site of our 2021 and 2022 school build, and met with the village chief. Together, we walked to Edukuma Primary School and checked out its progress. The construction is not as far along as we had hoped, but it’s getting there. Kofi is using new technology in building the school with regard to window design. Windows are now made of sealed wood, which will create better airflow than the traditional method of concrete blocks.
We also visited Small London, where we just completed their two-room junior high block. We have now built 11 classrooms, serving Pre-K to grade 9, for this village since 2012. I brought my drone here too. Click HERE or on the picture below and see drone footage of our schools in Small London.
Education is truly transformative. And you are giving access to it to so many in Ghana right now, who would otherwise be without. It was a privilege to visit Ghana and see the great work Framework and you are doing in building schools. I hope you take a moment or two and watch the drone videos to see it for yourself.
We can’t thank you enough for your support,
Seth Prickett
Founder and Board Member
Framework International
P.S. Fun fact, when I am greeted by kids in Ghana, they call me “Obruni,” which literally means man from over the horizon.
