A US-based Ghanaian, Lucy Dompreh, who is also a native of Akrofuom in the Akrofuom district of the Ashanti Region, has donated educational items to some 100 kids in the district. She also seized the opportunity to celebrate with the kids as part of the Christmas festivities.
The educational items, which included mathematical sets, books, pencils, pens, etc., were given to the students who had excelled in their respective classes at the end of the term. The beneficiaries were drawn from schools such as Akrofuom Methodist, Akrofuom RC, Akrofuom D/A, Okyerekrom D/A, Nkoransah D/A, and Mensenso D/A.
Presenting the items in the presence of an enthusiastic crowd, including the District Chief Executive for the area, Dr. Maurice Jonas Woode, the Member of Parliament for the Akrofuom constituency, Mr. Alex Blankson, teachers, and the beneficiary students, Miss Lucy Dompreh said she has been doing such programs for the past 19 years, drawing inspiration from her resolve to promote education in the area.
In an interview with the media, she said she started by supporting the girl child to realize the importance of pursuing education to the highest level. This, she said, paid off, hence she decided to extend it to include boys and also expand the number of beneficiaries.
She lauded the District Chief Executive and the Member of Parliament for supporting the program in the past few years. “The DCE and MP have also supported the program, knowing its significance in motivating the kids to strive for academic excellence.”
Two former students of the Akrofuom Senior High Technical School were awarded for their excellent results in the 2023 WASSCE. The students, Agyini Sadia and Wilfred Grant, scored an aggregate of 9 and 8, respectively.
Edward Sarpong, a citizen of Akrofuom domiciled in the US, donated GH₵1000 each to the two students. This was to recognize them for the successes chalked and motivate them to achieve more laurels in education.
The Chief Executive for the Akrofuom district, Dr. Maurice Jonas Woode, applauded the students for the feat. He said their excellent results lend credence to the fact that the school has what it takes to compete with other big schools.
“Gone are the days when students and teachers refuse admission and postings to the Akrofuom Senior High Technical School. This feat by the two students is to cure all the misconceptions some people have about the school.”
He said he is working tirelessly with the Member of Parliament for the area to secure scholarships for the students to encourage them and relieve their parents of any financial stress.
He also lauded Madam Lucy Dompreh for her annual donation and party for the kids in the area. He added that it will further boost education in the district and increase competition among school kids.
On his part, Hon. Alex Blankson, the Member of Parliament for the Akrofuom constituency, commended Lucy Dompreh for her benevolence and love for kids. He said the gesture forms part of other incentives lined up by other stakeholders in the area to improve education at Akrofuom.
He admonished the school kids to take their education seriously. He said he has rolled out a program to distribute mathematical sets to BECE candidates and has been supporting first-year Senior High school-bound students from the constituency with mattresses, chop boxes, and trunks.
“I want you to learn hard and climb the academic ladder to benefit from these initiatives that have been running for the past 3 years,” he ended.
Agyini Sadia, who scored an aggregate 9 in the 2023 WASSCE, shared her story with the media. She said she was motivated to put more effort into her studies due to a sad situation she witnessed where her teachers felt disappointed in the results of her predecessors.
She said she resolved to learn hard and pass her exams to bring smiles back to the faces of her teachers.
On her next move, Sadia, who aspires to be a lawyer, said she hopes to get admission into the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology to pursue a law course. “This will be a dream come true.”