Village Rainbows

AFRICA SANKOFA FUND

Purpose of AFRICA SANKOFA FUND

The Africa Sankofa Fund aims to empower rural communities located in Ghana, West Africa.  Initially it will do this by targeting the education of children through provision of facilities such as day care centres and libraries where none exist. This will be extended to include instruction of teachers and day care providers in order to enhance the quality of education and care that they provide. This objective will best be realized with the establishment of an educational training centre, located in New Edubiase in the Ashanti Region, from which training will be taken to the surrounding communities. In    the area of health, facilities in chosen communities will be provided in order to supplement current services.

SOME HISTORY

The Africa Sankofa Fund was first conceived by former Saskatchewan residents, Comfort and Rod McLaren, after they relocated to Ghana in West Africa. The couple returned to Ghana, Comfort to her homeland, and Rod to the country in which he taught school in the early 1970’s. They operate a hotel, the African Rainbow Resort, which they built in 2002, located on the coast of Ghana in a small fishing village called Busua. They also maintain a home in Comfort’s home village of Amudurasi, next to New Edubiase in the Ashanti Region.

In 2007, Ghana celebrated its Fiftieth Anniversary since regaining its independence, and is seen by many to be an example of a success story in Africa. The country is rich in many mineral resources, and has a long tradition of farming. In spite of its many assets, there are areas in which Ghana seeks assistance, and the McLaren’s are actively involved in finding solutions to problems that the people in their communities identify. While they often utilize their own personal resources to assist, they have found that additional financial resources are required in order to overcome the challenges that are encountered.

The Africa Sankofa Fund is a registered charity in Canada has been granted by Revenue Canada (Tax Number:  BN  84617 0363 RR0001).

THE LARGER PICTURE

Most people in the western world take education for granted. They assume that their children will have access to it, and that they can expect the education itself will be of high quality. This is a luxury that is not shared by everyone in the world. Here in Ghana, primary education has been widely available for more than fifty years, although in practise not all children have equal access, and the quality that is available is often inadequate.

The problem is not an easy one to resolve, especially if one looks at the large picture. The obstacles are daunting, starting with a shortage of operational funding all the way through to the poor condition or non-existence of many facilities and including the uneven level of qualifications of teachers. This is especially evident in the rural areas of Ghana where the majority of the population still live.