Four children Drown – Ananse deems it highly Avoidable

The Chairman of Board of Trustees of Ananse Reach Concept, Mr. Fredrick Adu Anti (Uncle Fred) has expressed shock and dismay upon the news of the death of four children in the Wenchi District of the Brong-Ahafo Region, describing it as one of the most unnecessary and avoidable killing of innocent children. Nyamebekyere, a small community in the Brong-Ahafo Region has a significant number of children who are eager to attend school yet the nearest school is in Badu, a town that requires the children to cross a river. Usually, during rainy seasons, the children are compelled to stay at home till the rains are over. Other children who would not want to miss classes take the risk to cross the river to school; a situation that resulted in the unfortunate deaths of the children.

Speaking to  Anansewaa Lucky on a radio segment “Ananse Hour” in Tamale, Uncle Fred mentioned that the said community in collaboration with Ananse Reach Concept and some students of the University for Development Studies have since 2008 constructed a three classroom block in the community with plans in place to have had a full six-year stream and maybe a Junior High School by December 2010 so no child would have to cross the river again.  The project which was executed under a special Ananse programme called Child Literacy Promotion Scheme (CLIPS)brought the community, Ananse Reach Concept and St. Bernadette Soubirous School in Dansoman Accra together to put up the classroom block using locally available material and communal labour. Under the programme, St Bernadette Soubirous School agreed to adopt the school after which they will ensure that almost all teaching and learning materials were made available to every child in the adopted school free of charge. They also committed to ensuring that teachers who accepted posting to their adopted school would receive monthly allocations of food items and other special household effects donated by parents of the St Bernadette Ananses.

Uncle Fred said, “for over three years, we have made several trips to the Wenchi District after several letters have been sent to get accreditation for this pilot programme to kick off but all efforts proved futile. It became too expensive and frustrating for us and the UDS students till it was not possible to pursue the matter anymore. I cannot put my finger on where the problem was coming from but I am absolutely certain that it is not political or from politicians.  I still stand surprised that people in authority are so insensitive to the plight of poor people. We expect people who have been to school to come back and facilitate the development of their communities but what do we see? They rather come back and prevent good projects from coming into their villages because they now live in the cities”. Uncle Fred said the deaths were not unexpected because the chief and his elders called for the project and it is on audio and video as they expressed their fears that should the trend continue, children from his community could get drowned one day. Their seriousness in the programme was manifest in the speed in completing the project, the quality and looks of their school which could not be compared with the other five pilot schools built under the same programme in other communities. 

Uncle Fred said, Ananse Reach Concept attaches a special importance to the Nyamebekyere school because the Founders are students of St Bernadette Soubirous School ; currently in Junior High School forms 3 and 1. The two children through their own resources have donated furniture to facilitate teaching and learning.  Hundreds of school uniforms, learning materials and toys have been mobilised by individual children of St. Bernadette School pending the commencement of the programme. Plans are in place for St Bernadette School to travel to Nyamebekyere for the inauguration of the school. The Paramount chief of the area has expressed his wish to be part of this historic occasion of community-participation educational programme. Where then is the problem coming from? Ananse News can confirm that, this is just one of numerous frustrations met by Ananse Reach Concept in the hands of public officials; some of which have resulted in unavoidable deaths, suffering, deprivation and retarded progress in their programmes towards accelerated national development. Uncle Fred has therefore called on all children in Ghana not to be despaired by the frustrations but rather promise themselves never to follow such examples when they grow and take up responsible positions.