Accra: Ten basic schools in the Upper East Region have benefited from a donation of 3,435 teaching and learning materials under the Nurturing Education Through Resource Donations (NERD) project, an initiative by A-ensonga Hearts aimed at supporting schools in deprived communities with educational resources.
According to Ghana News Agency, the materials, which included 2,869 Alpha and Omega textbooks, 58 general books, 64 notepads, 300 pens, and 144 pencils, were distributed by A-ensonga Hearts, a charity organisation, in partnership with Alpha and Omega Publications based in Kumasi, and other individual donors. The beneficiary schools included St. Theresa Academy at Zorko, Fr Lebel Memorial Roman Catholic Primary and Kindergarten, Feo Awiisi Primary and KG, St. Augustine Roman Catholic Primary School at Doua, Kunkua Primary School, Bongo-Soe Roman Catholic School, Winkogo Primary School, Feo Awiisi Junior High School, St. Augustine JHS, and Kunkua JHS.
The NERD project seeks to bridge the unequal access to education among children, especially those in rural communities, to ensure sustainable development and boost efforts to achieving goal four of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which puts emphasis on access to equal education by 2030. The NERD project is part of A-ensonga Hearts' broader goal of promoting quality education and reducing disparities in access to educational resources across Ghana.
Ms Kenndicta A-ensonga Ajene, Founder and Executive Director of A-ensonga Hearts, stated that the initiative was conceived to bridge the inequality gap in access to teaching and learning materials between well-resourced schools and those in deprived communities. She explained that during several visits to schools across different regions, she observed that many pupils lacked basic learning materials while teachers struggled to teach effectively due to the absence of textbooks and visual resources.
She noted that the partnership with Alpha and Omega Publications had significantly transformed the project's scale, as the company donated more than 2,500 assorted textbooks covering subjects such as Science, Creative Arts, Reading, Numeracy, and Phonics for kindergarten and primary pupils. Ms Ajene also highlighted that other donors contributed cash to support logistics, additional notepads, pens, and pencils, which were distributed to Junior High School students and teachers, especially those who excelled academically.
The NERD project involves collecting new or fairly used books from individuals, homes, and institutions and channelling them to children who need them most. It aims to give every child, regardless of location, a fair chance at quality education. She expressed gratitude to Alpha and Omega Publications, various individual donors, and volunteers for their contributions to the project's success, and called on more organisations and individuals to sustain the initiative.
The Executive Director revealed plans to roll out the second edition of the NERD project in the Upper West Region in the coming weeks to support more deprived children in accessing quality education. During the donation, teachers, Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) members, and pupils of the beneficiary schools expressed appreciation to A-ensonga Hearts and its partners for the gesture, pledging to make good use of the materials.
The PTA also expressed gratitude to A-ensonga Hearts for previous projects, including the Floor to Desks (F2D) project, provision of boreholes, and other auxiliary needs that had positively impacted their schools and communities. Mr Thomas Azure Alukuke, a Headteacher at the Fr Lebel Primary School, expressed gratitude to A-ensonga Hearts and its partners, noting that it would boost teaching and learning in the schools. He pledged that the materials would be used for the intended purpose to improve academic performance among the schoolchildren.
Ms Jovina Abagbire, a Basic six pupil of Winkogo primary, expressed gratitude to A-ensonga and its partners, saying the gesture was not only a boost to teaching and learning but also an inspiration for them to learn hard and excel in their academic journey.