Dam spillage disaster: Meet 20-year-old SHS graduate who gives free education to displaced children in camp

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In an act of generosity and dedication, Gertrude, a 20-year-old graduate from Akatsi Secondary Technical School, has been offering free lessons to some of the displaced children at the St. Kizito camp in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region.

The St. Kizito camp, a safe haven in the district, is currently home to numerous families who have been displaced due to the flood caused by the spillage of water from the Akosombo and Kpong dams. By this, many children have had their education disrupted.

Due to the disruption, experts in the education sector, GNAT, Child’s Right and others, including the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, have been calling on the government to restructure the educational calendar to benefit the children in the affected areas.

Recognising the importance of education and the challenging circumstances these children are facing, Gertrude has taken it upon herself to provide free lessons.

In a video shared by Joy News, Gertrude could be seen teaching, demonstrating and singing about the body parts to the children who also followed suit.

According to the report, Gertrude spends more than six hours of her day teaching these children.

Gertrude, expressed her motivation to help these children continue their education despite the difficult situation.

“They have just been home without going to school due to the flood, their classrooms are not open for them to go to school. Two days ago, I was just sitting under the tree. They were playing, fighting and hurting themselves, so I just decided to get a board to teach them a little,” she said.

She went on to explain her teaching approach, saying, “Due to the differences in their classes, I am just doing something general for them, like parts of the body and they all have a general idea about them, so, it’s been okay so far,” he added

Gertude also shared the best learning practices she adopted to ensure that they get the best education even in these difficult times.

“We know that kids learn best in the morning, so, when it’s morning, I allow them to eat then I gather them around, we do a few starters then I teach them. When it’s about two hours later, I allow them to go and play, then we come back again” she added.

Ever since the Volta River Authority (VRA) started the spillage, nearly 26, 000 people in about nine districts downstream of the volta river have lost their homes, properties and even their sources of livelihood.

Measures are currently being put in place by the government, organisations and individuals to alleviate the plight of these persons.

The Minister in charge of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, assured the communities of the government’s effort to get education back to the affected children.

By www.ghanaweb.com