St Pats Students Ghana School Building Project

Since 2006 St Patrick’s College  students have been involved in a most successful school-building project in the town of Jasikan, in the Volta Region of Ghana in West Africa.  This year John O’Boyle, a 3rd year BEd student, took the lead in organising a range of events and activities to raise funds for the programme – including a ‘Buy a Brick’ campaign, and a highly enjoyable and fund-generating ‘Mister St Pats’ competition.  He was enthusiastically supported by Breda O’Connor, International Officer of the SU, and its President and Vice President Eoin Bolger and Ciarán O Rourke.  The commitment and hard work that the team put into the fund-raising campaign was phenomenal, and students and staff responded with extraordinary generosity .  The total amount raised was a staggering €15,991.49.

During their Easter vacation, John and Breda travelled to Ghana to stay as guests of the new school’s Patron and Manager, the Most Rev. Gabriel Mante, Bishop of Jasikan.  They presented him with a cheque for €15,544.29 and a range of classroom resources brought from Ireland and purchased with the remainder of the money.  Whilst in Jasikan, they were able to witness first-hand the progress being made in the building of the school and the growth in student numbers – from no children and no classrooms in 2006 when the campaign started, to three in 2007 with just two classes of approximately 90 children enrolled, to today’s eight classrooms catering for a full complement of young students from 1st Grade to Junior High.  Some of these classrooms are temporary structures and the present funds will go towards the building of a new two-storey building on the same site with the foundations already laid.  The school has already established an excellent reputation in the area with demand for places already outstripping availability.

John and Breda could see the need for further assistance for this worthy endeavour and are hoping that next year’s students will continue to support the project.  In the meanwhile, a huge debt of gratitude is owed to them and all the St Pats students involved for giving so generously of their time and resources in order to improve the educational lives and life chances of these young Ghanaian students.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last Updated: Thursday April 30 2009