The Challenge
Elmina M/A Basic School’s Junior High School 1 block was over 40 years old and had not been renovated since it was built. Seventy pupils, 35 to a class, shared its two classrooms.
The roof leaked whenever it rained, and lessons had to stop. There were no windows, only holes in the walls, so there was little or no ventilation and the rooms became extremely hot on sunny days. The wooden pillars holding up the corridor were close to collapse, and years of erosion had left the foundation of the building hanging.
Orbis Pictus Project
In 2021 our project Orbis Pictus is to reconstruct the JHS 1 Block of the Elmina MA School. The structure is a two classroom block housing the form 1 A&B, ventilation is extremely poor with the roof leaking when ever it rains making it impossible for students to focus during teaching hours.
Site Reconstruction Stages
Before
Rear view of the school block
After
Rear view of the school block
Before
Inside classroom block
After
Inside classroom block
Before
The main classroom block.
After
The main classroom block.
Our Work
With the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Accra and Lemon Beach Resort in Elmina as partners, the Foundation pulled down the whole unit and rebuilt it as a more comfortable place to teach and learn.
- Rebuilt block: The entire classroom unit was taken down and rebuilt.
- Better ventilation: The roof and ceiling were raised and windows were added, so air can move through the classrooms.
- Sealed roof: The new roof stops the leaks that used to interrupt lessons in the rainy season.
- Stronger structure: The weak wooden pillars were replaced with reinforced concrete columns, the foundation was strengthened and erosion control was added.
- New desks and layout: Durable new desks and a roomier seating arrangement give each pupil more space and let teachers move between rows.
Local Employment
The four-month build gave temporary employment to 25 local artisans. Five Ivorian refugee artisans, who had worked with the Foundation on its project the year before, also took part in the reconstruction.
Handover
The project was handed over to the school authorities on 15 October 2021 at a short, colourful event. Present were Robert Hrubý, Economic and Trade Counsellor at the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Accra; David Duron of Lemon Beach Resort; and Eric Djanator, Projects Manager of the Michael Kunke Foundation.
Impact
Attendance has improved and absenteeism has dropped, and teachers now have a more comfortable space to teach. The project supports Sustainable Development Goal 4 (quality education) and is part of the Foundation's Education Empowerment for Sustainable Communities (EESC) initiative.
