United Way Ghana, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has offered scholarships to 91 brilliant but needy children of six schools in the Eastern Region.
The move is under the NGO’s Nyansapo Scholarship Programme introduced in the year 2005 to support brilliant but needy students to have access to education.
The beneficiaries were selected from Akropong MA Basic School, Salem Basic School, St. Joseph Basic School, Okuapeman Basic School, Akropong Methodist, and Abiriw SDA Basic School.
The scholarship package included exercise books, school bags, uniforms, a pair of shoes, storybooks and stationery.
Speaking at the presentation of the scholarships at Akropong, the Executive Director of United Way Ghana, Mr Felix Kissiedu, said the Nyansapo Scholarship Programme had offered opportunity to children from poor homes to access education.
“Through our intervention, we have identified vulnerable children who may have missed or dropped out of school due to their family’s inability to pay for their fees to access education,” he said.
Mr Kissiedu said since the inception of the NyansapoScholarshipProgramme, 605 children from Akropong and Abiriw in the Eastern Region and Akokoamon in the Ashanti Region had been granted scholarships.
“Over the past 17 years, United Way Ghana under its educational programme, has and continues to engage in activities that will help improve access to quality basic education in Accra, Akropong, Abiriw, Kumasi, Dampase, Bortianor, and Senya Bereku,” he said.
Mr Kissiedu said in addition to the scholarships his outfit had introduced the Girls Closet Initiative, to set up Girls Closet clubs to mentor girls in the six beneficiary schools.
“Most of the girls from the beneficiary schools do not have access to good role models and thus most of them are easily influenced off track. The objective is to have the Girls’ Club as one of the Ghana Education Service (GES) recognised clubs in the school,” he said.
Mr Kissiedu said the NGO was part of United Way Worldwide with network of 1,800 in 40 countries across the world.
United Way Ghana, he said was devoted to making a real social impact within local communities with the focus on education, health and financial empowerment.
BY KINGSLEY ASARE