Working in Ghana

Supporting the people of the Kaleo - Nadowli District

Care for Kaleo is a small UK based charity, run by four friends and family members. In 2003 one of the trustees spent two years working in the village of Kaleo, Ghana, with the charity Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO). During that time he made friendships and connections in the community and a partnership between Kaleo Baptist Church and his family in the UK began. In 2007 that relationship was formalised into the charity Care for Kaleo.

The first project we undertook was to help build a new church building after the old mud-brick building was destroyed in a storm. Hand-powered building machinery was sent to Ghana, along with a technician who trained a group of local people in building techniques. We continued to raise funds until the new church building and a Sunday School building, next door, were completed.

Since those early days, the charity, working alongside its partners in Kaleo, has done more than we ever imagined. Through the generosity of our supporters, we have completed a school complex, just outside Kaleo, comprising of a Kindergarten, Primary School, Junior High School and Library building, along with all the necessary kitchens, offices, bore hole, play equipment and toilet blocks. We also fund teacher training for young adults in the community, a number of whom have taught in the Kaleo schools.

We are now working in the small community of Dunjagu, building a Kindergarten and Primary School. There has not been any education provision in Dunjagu in living memory, the children having to walk many miles every day to attend school, a journey too far for the youngest children to manage.

Care for Kaleo is a UK Registered Charity. Charity Number: 1119385

May 2023

The first Primary School block of three classrooms in Dunjagu is complete. Primary classes 1 and 2 are using this block. The Ghana Education Service has decided to revert to back to a standard academic year, running from September to July, so the Primary School in Dunjagu will have three classes from September.

Work building the second block has started. Foundations have been dug and blocks are being made. All the work is done by hand. Tiring work in the hot sun!

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December 2022

The work in Kaleo and Dunjagu continues. In October Modesta travelled to Ghana to see her family and friends, and also to see how the work is going. We were happy to hear that the schools in Kaleo continue to be a success, providing an excellent education. Our first cohort of students have now completed Junior High School and have just written their BECEs (Basic Education Certificate Examinations). They are eagerly awaiting their results that will determine which Senior High Schools they can attend across the country.

In Dunjagu the new Primary School block of three classrooms is 99% completed. Once the doors and windows have been painted it will be ready for use. When the new school year starts in January (post-Covid the Ghanaian government changed to start of the academic year from September to January), Primary 1 and 2 classes will be up and running in the new block, whilst the Nursery and Kindergarten will continue to use the first block that was completed last year.

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March 2022

The building of Primary School classrooms 1 to 3 in Dunjagu is progressing well. Thanks to your ongoing support, we have been able to send the funds to pay for the building materials and specialist labour costs. The roof is now finished and the building is nearing completion.

Once this block is completed, we will move onto the kitchen block and toilets, before starting the building of the classrooms for years 4 to 6.

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September 2021

The children of Dunjagu Kindergarten have got their new, termite proof, metal desks and are enjoying lessons in their new classroom. After class they now have a healthy, nutritious meal every day. We will continue to fund the school meals until the school is captured by the Ghana Schools Feeding Program, hopefully in 2022.

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August 2021

Here are the latest photos of the work in Dunjagu. The weather in the region is currently around 30 degrees Celsius with 75% to 95% humidity! The people of the community are giving their time and labour for free to help build Primary School.

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July 2021

The Kindergarten in Dunjagu has been completed. Although the walls have been built using mud blocks, in time these will be replaced with much more durable concrete blocks. The building is being used every day. Chairs and desks are currently being made by a local craftsman, and should be ready soon.

The building has been officially dedicated by the District Director of Education in a formal ceremony, during which free uniforms were presented to the first class of students at the school. We always present free uniforms to each student when they start at any of the Care for Kaleo schools. It gives the children, and the parents, a sense of pride, helps to build a strong school community and thereby encourages good attendance.

In order for the school to be taken on by the Ghana Education Service, it has to be up and running for a full year. All being well, next January the school will be fully assimilated into the Ghana Education system.

Building work continues on the Primary School in Dunjagu. The people of the village have started digging the foundations, by hand! They are giving all their labour for free. More news to follow.

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April 2021

The work in Dunjagu is going well. Over the last months, encouraged by our partner, Pastor Solomon, the community have been making mud blocks in faith that they would be able to raise enough money to build a basic Kindergarten building and construct a roof before the wet season starts in April.

Now we have come alongside them, the plan is to construct a Kindergarten and Primary School built using concrete blocks. This will take time, however, and the community wanted to get started. They have, therefore, started teaching Kindergarten lessons outside, under a temporary shelter and are constructing the mud block Kindergarten building. This will be completed soon, so the children can be move into it before the rains come. The completion of this building also allows our partners to start the school registration process with the District Education Office, a process that can take up to a year.

Although the mud block building is a temporary solution, it will not be wasted. It has been constructed in such a way that the walls can be removed whilst the roof remains in place. Once the concrete blocks have been produced, the mud walls will be removed, broken down and mixed with cement to form the foundations for the new building. The concrete block walls will then be built under the existing roof before the doors and windows are fitted.

It is great to see the children learning and the building well under way. Please have a look at the latest photos in the gallery.