Maire Hunter
Staff Reporter
Six years ago, Kwesi Koomson and his wife Melissa, both teachers, moved to Ghana and opened their first school, the Esiam Heritage Academy. Since its launch, the school has grown to fourteen times its original size.
The Koomsons gradually improved the school by buying and renovating an abandoned factory. Almost immediately they started their second school, the Ochiso Heritage Academy, when they heard a nearby village school was going bankrupt.
According to a census from 2000, only 57.9% of Ghanaians are literate. Local public schools are funded by the government, which often means they are unreliable in providing teachers and supplies.
Students at the Esiam Heritage Academy graduated with a 100% pass rate on the national exam in 2008 and 2009—especially impressive in a district where the average pass rate on the exam is about 42%.
The Schoerke Foundation offers scholarships to poor students unable to afford to attend school otherwise. Students who excel on the national exams may be offered scholarships through 13th grade.
They are currently implementing a new program to begin summer 2010 that will offer scholarships to Ghanaian students and grants to U.S. college students to allow them to participate in a three week summer program. This summer they plan to work on building an 8-unit classroom block, setting up a school garden, and making tables & chairs for elementary school students.
Volunteers will spend time teaching reading and other subjects to students, as well as helping with building construction, painting classrooms, and making furniture. High school students from both Ghana and the U.S. have the opportunity to study together and tutor younger students.
Kwesi and Melissa Koomson run the Schoerke Foundation from Westtown, PA, where he is the head of the math department and she is the work program and volunteer coordinator at Westtown School.
Kwesi Koomson will be speaking at McDaniel at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 16 in Hill 017. He will present a PowerPoint and answer questions about the foundation. www.schoerkefoundation.org
QUICK FACTS:
The Schoerke Foundation
· Established as a 501(c)(3) in 2006
· Currently serves more than 700 pre-k to grade 13 students in two schools
· It only costs about $75 to support a student for a year
