Tigo builds #Shelter4Education for 6 Ghanaian communities
A lot has been said about the quality of education in Ghana, especially in public schools. It's very important to create a nice environment for learning as bad conditions greatly affect the performance of students. "Schools under trees" is a popular topic when public school education is discussed in Ghana. These points lend more credence to the importance of Tigo's Shelter for Education initiative in Ghana which seeks to improve on infrastructure for basic education in rural Ghana.
Tigo is the reigning Ghana Telecom Awards Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Company of the Year. This is quite a big deal, given the constant competition amongst telecommunication companies in Ghana. Tigo launched its new CSR programme, Shelter 4 Education recently. Tigo has put up 6 six unit classroom blocks with Headmaster’s office, Staff common room and a KVIP for some selected schools in makeshift structures or in need of renovation across the country.
communities of Obeng Yaw and Adeiso in the Eastern region went into a fanfare when Tigo unveiled a fully furnished six unit classroom block with Headmaster’s office and Teacher’s Common room. This replaced their makeshift structure which dates back to the 1960s and had seen little renovation over the decades. The company also provided all the teachers with fully connected mobile phones whilst the pupils each received two school uniforms, exercise books and Tigo branded souvenirs. The students of these schools also received sandals, and other learning materials. Footwear is one major need for many pupils in Ghana too.
The Head of Corporate Communications and Social Responsibility for Tigo, Gifty Bingley, revealed Shelter for Education is a multi-million dollar project which will transform education in the selected communities. “Education has over the years been a priority for us, our ‘Change Leader programme’ for instance supports various young entrepreneurs to improve teaching and learning among in deprived communities. “One of our goals for this project is to see Ghana advance on the Millennium Development Goals now the Sustainability Goals in particular Goal two on Achieving Universal Primary Education, she said.” I met +Gifty Bingley for the first time when she mentored at +Barcamp Accra. As evidenced by her responses while I interviewed her at +Barcamp Tema, she's extremely passionate about children's education in Ghana.
The CEO for Tigo, Roshi Motman, underscored the importance of education in improving living standards and reducing poverty. “Education is key in building a nation and for Tigo as a caring brand, we want to contribute in shaping the lives of these children – helping them to build their dreams right from the basic level. Our hope is that by providing them with a conducive environment, they can concentrate on their studies and have a brighter future,” she said. I met Roshi earlier this year in her office, and I must say it's one of the coolest CEO offices in Ghana. Roshi is a Swedish native and was recently named second amongst 75 outstanding women from Sweden. She's passionate about digital lifestyle which is evident in Tigo's business right now, but she's a very concerned citizen. She's equally passionate about Ghana's development, as evidenced in her crowning as queenmother in the Tafo Akyem area and has the stool name, Obaapayin Nana Yaa Adusei. Roshi is also a fun lady. She was having a jolly good time at Tigo Ghana Meets Naija and she took a selfie with me. That made me very happy :-)I am also very happy that the #Shelter4Education initiative touched multiple regions around Ghana. The beneficiaries include
- Ejura Sekyere-Dumase MA School in the Ashanti region
- Tupaa Basic School in GA South of the Greater region
- Obeng Yaw Basic School in Adeiso of the Eastern region
- St Joseph Primary School in Obuasi in the Ashanti region
- Dimabi Nursery and Primary School in Tolon Kumbumgu of the Northern region
- Banda Ahenkro MA School in Banda Ahenkro of the Brong Ahafo region
The project has also been documented as a television series. Video documentaries showcasing the story behind the construction of these schools around the country have been captured and are showing on local television. They are also on YouTube, You can learn more about that in this other blog post. Kudos and Morevim to Tigo on this project. Looking to seeing great stories of impact in the lives of pupils and students as we improve education nationwide in Ghana.
Also, make sure you are following Tigo Ghana on Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/
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