ABOUT
GHANA
Ghana has a population of about 25 million people. Half live in the two major urban areas of Kumasi and Accra, the capitol. The other half live in poor remote villages. The main currency is called the Cedi. The main language of the Northern Region where we work is Gonja. Here, most people live on $1.25 per day. Still today, infant mortality is much greater in the North than in other regions of the country.
Its diverse geography and ecology ranges from coastal savannahs to tropical rainforest jungles. Most people in the Northern Region are subsistence farmers. Rare Shea nut trees provide additional income for local women. Ghana's beaches are some of the most beautiful in the world. It is also home to a variety of wildlife including Elephants, Baboons, Hippos. The largest body of fresh water is the Volta river.
EDUCATION IN WEST AFRICA
In the Northern Region, 1 in 3 women cannot read or compute. Less than 20% of the girls complete secondary education. Secondary Education is not free and is quite competitive.
Ghana has a 6-year primary education system beginning at the age of six, and, under the educational reforms implemented in 1987 and reformed in 2007, they pass on to a 3-year junior high school system. At the end of the 3rd year of Junior High, there is a mandatory Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). Those continuing must complete the 3-year senior high school (SHS) program and take an admission exam to enter any university or tertiary program.
Within Ghana Education Service (GES),
there is still a lack of teachers, curriculum, and educational resources such as books and exam prep materials. Since the 2015 election, progress has been made in building more schools, improved roads and marketplaces in this region.
HISTORY & CULTURE
Ghana is located on the West Coast of Africa. It is often referred to as the "island of peace" despite being located in one of the most chaotic regions of the world. In 1957, Ghana became the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence. After leading the country for nine years, the nation's founding president, Kwame Nkrumah was overthrown in a coup d'etat in 1966.
The latest and most enduring democratic experiment started in 1992 and it is what has gained recognition for Ghana as a leading democracy in Africa. The current President of Ghana is NanaAkufo-Addo, who won the 2016 presidential election against the incumbent, John Dramani Mahama
Ghana has a population of approximately 27 million, spanning a variety of ethnic, linguistic and religious groups. The National language is English, however there are 11 other official languages in this small country. Five percent of the population practices traditional faiths, 71.2% adhere to Christianity and 23.6% are Muslim.
