Primary School project (concluded 2009)

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There are many reasons, both historical and current, which have led to, and which perpetuate the widespread poverty in West Africa and elsewhere. It is certainly not our purpose here to try to make a deeper analysis of the causes. In any case, it is obvious to anyone ever having been confronted with the everyday reality of life in such areas that at or near the core of the problem lies the lack of adequate opportunity for the youngest generations to receive an adequate education.

In Larabanga, a particular constellation of factors come together. On the one hand, the village contains a national treasure: its Sudanese-style mosque and a local curiousity, the Mystic Stone. It is also in the limelight from a tourism resulting from the vicinity of Mole National Park (2-3 km. distant). The park, however, has been a mixed blessing, as it imposes a number of restrictions on village life and subsistence practices which have only arguably been compensated by the benefits of the modest traffic generated.

The attention that the mosque and park have drawn to Larabanga has also led to offers, particularly from Western religious organizations, to provide enhanced educational opportunities in the village. The villagers want their children to be raised within the local Moslem traditions and tend to look upon missionary schools with some skepticism. Since they have not been able to count on meaningful support from the state or central government, they have taken it upon themselves to organize the school.

We are asking you to make a donation to support the village initiative to extend primary schooling facilities in Larabanga. The current school facilities are woefully inadequate, with the result that the few classes which can be held may contain as many as 90 pupils. The ability of even the most dedicated teachers to provide even minimally effective basic education under such conditions is, obviously, severely limited.