About 4 kilometers from Suhum in the Eastern Region of Ghana lies a small farming community called Apedwa. This community has one educational institution that provides education for the inhabitants (children). Majority of children in the community were enrolled in the school before its destruction.
In March 2015, a rainstorm wreaked havoc on the school structure causing extensive damage to the already collapsing structure. Enrolment of students in the school has declined, due to the current unsafe state of the structure. For the 2013/2014 academic year, total enrolment from Primary 1 to 6 summed up to 124 comprising 46 girls and 78 boys. In the academic year 2015/2016, enrolment decreased from 124 to a total of 70 students from Primary 1-6. This number comprises 33 girls and 37 boys. This decline is attributed to the concern of parents for their wards, and as a result have withdrawn them from the school. The few privileged parents send their children to neighboring community schools some kilometers away leaving about 95% of the children out of school helping their parents on the farms.
Global Alliance for Poverty Reduction (GAPR) is dedicated to poverty reduction causes, of which education forms part of. Education is one of the major focus of this organization, and we believe that through education poverty can be alleviated. The Apedwa community is one of the "adopted" communities of GAPR where we see education as the tool this community needs to rise out of poverty and provide its children with a better future.As part of our HEART OF GOLD theme for the year, GAPR is embarking on a landmark project to restore to a deprived community in the Eastern Region of Ghana their only six unit classroom block.