The community of Bonkorkor, in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, is inhabited by settler-farmers who grow cocoa, rice, and other foodstuffs. The population is comprised of mostly northerners (at 80%) and the Akan tribe. The northerners migrated from the northern part of the Ghana to settle as share croppers and most of their children are involved in farming activities at the expense of their education.

---

December 2005. The communal spirit amongst the people of Bonkorkor is very high. The villagers built their own 5-unit classroom block for their children about 30 years ago, but the structures are in a deplorable state. The Ghana Education Service supports the school, but many children and teachers must still walk 3 to 6 kilometers to attend the school, deterring many of them.

Through CIRCLE partner CRADA’s interventions in community education, training, sensitization, and self-direction via participatory approaches, the community has been empowered to start making changes. Community achievements so far have included:

• Four bicycles purchased to enable teachers to attend regularly
• Awareness-raising activities concerning the use of children on farms have yielded a 15% increase in enrollment
• 13 ex-child laborers have enrolled in various education settings, learning carpentry, construction, dressmaking, hairdressing, and catering
• The community-school relationship has improved; during a recent visit, the District Chief Executive reassured the community that once the primary school is built, the government will build a Junior Secondary School.
• Teachers’ quarters were built to lesson the distance they had to travel to school.

Funding provided by the United States Department of Labor under cooperative agreements E-9-K-2-0048 and E-9-K-4-0005.
Information on this web site is provided and maintained by Winrock International.
The U.S. Government is not responsible for the veracity of information contained on this site.