Highlighting a SAS Family
Job Kyere and Comfort Owusuaa live in Senase, Ghana with their three children, Dennis, Ivy and Christopher. Daughter Ivy is 8 years old and was one of the first students enrolled at SAS in class 1 in September of 2015. During one of my visits to Senase, I passed by Ivy’s home and met her mother, father, grandfather and Christopher. At the time, Christopher was just 3 years old. He was so animated and full of energy and I truly hoped we would see him in KG1 the following year.
When September of 2016 came around, I learned that Christopher would not be able to attend school at SAS, because his parents could not afford to pay school fees. Something told me that Christopher would absolutely thrive if given the chance to attend SAS and I hoped that we could make that possible. It was at that time that we started our scholarship program to assist families unable to pay their school fees in full. These scholarship funds are used solely for families truly in need, and who are dedicated to their children’s education. Careful consideration is given on a case by case basis. I’m happy to say that Christopher started school in KG1 that same fall, and has become a star student in very short time!
Senase is a small farming village, where most families farm just to put food on their table. Ivy and Christopher’s family is no different. Although their father is trained to teach, he has not been called for a position and has no job. Until recently Ivy’s mother was a trader, and sold plantains on the road or at market. Last year our school matron, (cook), became unable to work and Ivy’s mother filled her position. Comfort is a joy to have at school. With her happy disposition and winning smile, we are thrilled to have her employed by SAS and happy that she is now earning a salary to help her family’s situation.
Dennis is 10 years old and is in Class 5 at a private school in a nearby city. Obviously, he was too old to attend SAS when we opened our doors in 2015, as we only went up to Class 1 at that point. We are happy that Dennis is also in school, however I know that Dennis is receiving a much different kind of education than his brother and sister. Comfort reports that Ivy who is in Class 3 at SAS this year already has much better reading skills than her brother.
Ivy is a quiet mannered child who is an excellent student with an easy smile. Christopher is a bundle of energy and curiosity with a mischievous smile. Both are an enormous asset to SAS. When asked what they like most about school, Ivy replied that she loves the playground, the way our teachers teach, learning letter sounds, Friday awards, and using our laptops. As for Christopher, he loves the toys, markers, playdoh, crayons and puzzles in his classroom, and he also is very happy for the shoes the school gave him from their donations sent from the US. Watching Ivy and Christopher learn and grow is such a joy!
