In July 2018, almost 20 years after my first visit to Ghana, I returned with my partner and 4 children to visit my Ghanaian friends. We visited Yaw, whom I had met in 1999 when he was just 19, in his home village of Kpemale/Nakpanduri, located in the north-east of Ghana on the border with Togo and Burkina Faso.
Since then, Yaw has become a policeman and has studied French, partly with my help. I met his father there, who became my father. We also got to know his extended family.
Yaw was, and still is, an extremely determined and visionary person. He told me about a project he had been trying to carry out for several years: to open a private primary school to teach French to Ghanaian children in the region, in addition to the other compulsory subjects. The aim was simple and laudable: since Ghana's official language is English, but all the neighbouring countries are French-speaking, a knowledge of French would give Ghanaians greater access to employment and a better future.
For the village, these are invaluable opportunities in this agricultural region where other jobs are scarce. The village chief was counting on our support to help his village prosper.
Following the launch of the campaign and the extremely generous response from donors, we welcomed the first students on 4 February 2019. A first year was completed with 38 first and second year students. Since then, we have expanded dramatically and now welcome almost 200 students from nursery to secondary 2.
Our school provides work for 13 teachers, 3 cooks, a bus driver and a night supervisor. Its construction also provides work for many workers in the village.
The ministerial accreditation process is now complete.
Our sponsorship programme, launched in 2020, is a resounding success: more than 250 sponsors and their families personally support all the children at the school, saving them from paying school fees. They maintain a close relationship by writing to each other, sending photos and small gifts. This is essential, as the school fees far exceed the families' ability to pay, and it will take several more years for the school to become self-supporting.
In order to become better organised, we founded Collaboration Ghana-Québec in 2021. We also obtained our charitable status that same year (our charity number: 709741870RR0001). The current board of directors is made up of Nadine Sauvé (president), Émilie Jacob (vice-president), John Davison (treasurer) and Stéphanie Sauvé (administrator).
Since the school was founded, we have carried out four missions there (2020, 2022, 2023, 2024). We've provided teacher training and, thanks to contributions, books in French to set up a library, school equipment, books for the teachers, computers, a printer, games for recess, art and educational materials, help with organising the premises and the timetable, and lots of love! Pure happiness! The whole village was very grateful.
The evidence is clear: there are many bright-eyed children who have enormous potential to do well at school!
Our current projects:
we wish to continue our pedagogical support to teachers; a 2nd purely pedagogical mission will be linked in August 2024 under the direction of Émilie Jacob. A salary increase is also our number 1 priority, to ensure that we retain competent teachers.
The first part of the construction of the Junior High School has been completed, but we have a loan of $16,000 to repay before we can start building the Senior High School.
Completing the "Gîte du Manguier" (guesthouse).
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A huge thank you to everyone for your interest. We invite you to follow our progress!
Nadine Sauvé
For the Collaboration Ghana-Québec team (Émilie, John and Stéphanie)
Collaboration Ghana-Québec is a registered charity in Canada (709741870RR0001). You will therefore receive a tax receipt for each donation. All of your donations (100%) go directly to our local administrator, Yaw Konlan, with close tracking of every dollar spent. Our team works on a voluntary basis and personally pays for every expense incurred during missions.