Nana Wirenkyi Memorial School (formerly Porter's School)
Nana Wirenkyi Memorial School is located in Kyekyewere, a village near Dunkwa-on-offin in the Central Region of Ghana, West Africa. Due to overpopulation of the only primary school in the village, many children did not have the opportunity to gain an education.
In February 2019, our newly constructed school started admitting students. Now there are over 290 students learning within the walls of these classrooms; classrooms which were built by members of the community.
The school started with a 5-classroom block, administrative office and latrines. A 6th classroom was added in 2022. Two of the classrooms currently hold two classes each which is not ideal for learning. We are planning a new 4 classroom block to allow each grade to have their own space and to allow the students to attend through Grade 6. In the spring of 2023, we completed leveling the grounds and are in the process of completing retaining walls to prepare for the next block of classrooms.
Nana Wirenkyi Memorial School got a new bus update just in time to start off the 2022 school year. We had had several generous donors who helped make this happen. The bus serves as the school's main sustainability project as it allows for consistent attendance which means consistent school fee payments. The transportation fees alone cover the fuel and maintenance costs and are already helping to pay for new projects. We are so grateful to our donors for making this happen!
Thanks to the new bus, the school has been able to save funds to contribute 25% of the cost to build the new classrooms. The school is now fully self-sustaining and will be able to fund future projects.
Mama Yaa's Home for Children
For thirty-two years, Mama Yaa took in the orphans from her village in Ghana. She cared for them as if they were her own children. Those closest to her, described her as a kind and generous woman. Mama Yaa’s heart overflowed with compassion and her home was always open to those in need.
In late 2019, Mama Yaa was diagnosed with cancer and she died from complications soon after. At the time of her passing, she had 26 orphans in her care. Her death brought great sadness to the village and these children. With Mama Yaa’s death there was uncertainty as to what would happen to the orphans. Thankfully, Janet is just as kind and selfless as her mother, Mama Yaa. Without hesitation, Janet volunteered to take over the care of the orphans. Janet is the wife of Papa, our local director in Ghana. This amazing couple have two daughters of their own and decided to increase the size of their family by 26 overnight.
The task of securing stable housing for Janet, Papa and the children was proving difficult.
In May, the family was given a few days notice to vacate their home and move their family of 30. Due to the pandemic, schools in Ghana have been closed since March. The Building Blocks Board encouraged Janet, Papa, and the children to move into Nana Wirenkyi Memorial School and use it as temporary housing until a more permanent solution could be found. Many of the younger orphans have been students at the school since it opened.
With the hope of schools reopening in September, the need for a long-term housing solution became a priority. In order to give the children stability and safety while they gain an education, the board decided to build a children’s home on the school campus.
The home was completed in early 2022.
Mama Yaa blessed countless children throughout her life. Our greatest hope for this home is to carry on her legacy.