Church Donation Facilitates Educational Improvements in Rural Ghana

On March 21, 2025 school children, teachers and education officials in two remote villages of the Volta Region in Ghana celebrated a donation from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The donation brought new facilities and educational programs to the communities of Fiavi and Mepe. This donation is in collaboration with Right to Play, a global non-governmental organization, and will help students overcome learning challenges.

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In his remarks to the audience, Elder Samuel Annan-Simons, Area Seventy of the Church, noted that President Russell M. Nelson has made education a priority in the Church's humanitarian efforts. He quoted President Nelson who said, "In the Church, obtaining an education and getting knowledge are a religious responsibility.  We educate our minds so that one day we can render service of worth to somebody else.  Again, learning is not an end unto itself, but a means to bless God's children."

He thanked Right to Play for their collaboration in the project and continued: “Our joint effort will bless the lives of many and will be a reflection of our love for God and neighbors.  Today, we are working together to bless the children.”

Elder Annan-Simons concluded his remarks saying, “Please accept this donation from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and from the Right to Play organization, and use it to bless the lives and encourage dreams of all God's children, and to do God's work. We want you to know that we love you, and this is our effort in trying to live the teachings of Jesus Christ, which is to love God and to love our fellow man."

Included in the project was the construction and renovation of classrooms, new washroom/toilet facilities and a girl’s dressing area. The Church’s donation also enabled Right to Play to provide teachers with much needed school supplies including markers, flip chart paper and stands, projectors, paper, pens, laptop computers and notepads. 

The project also includes training for 320 teachers from 40 primary schools on play-based learning approaches, coach and mentor them to ensure that their teaching practices become more fun and engaging for students. Additionally it includes training for 400 parents, executives of the school management committees and the Parent Teacher Association, who will in turn organize quarterly sensitization sessions and bi-monthly meetings with their peer parents to strengthen their engagements in schools. This will help them develop and implement school action plans and improve their capacity to support children's reading at home.

These goals, along with the new classrooms and supplies, have the potential to significantly change the educational prospects for children in these two communities.

At the donation ceremonies, the audience was shown examples of the play-based learning in progress. A pair of teachers had their classes assembled underneath trees in the playground and the students were engaged in activities and games targeting specific skills such as spelling and math. Their laughter and eager participation were testaments of the effectiveness of the new play-based approach.

In their remarks to those in attendance, school officials praised the work that had been done. They expressed gratitude to Right to Play and to the Church for making these changes possible. Several of the speakers noted that the donation was not only an investment in the local community, but was an investment in the country of Ghana, as it would empower the rising generation of children in those communities to reach levels of achievement that had not been previously possible, enabling them to give back to the community around them.

To express their joy and appreciation, students performed cultural dances accompanied by choirs singing traditional songs. The sense of joy and delight was abundant throughout the performances. 

Following the speeches, Elder Annan-Simons participated with Right to Play and school officials in a ribbon cutting ceremony, after which school children continued with their joyful celebrations of cultural dances and songs.

School representatives and executives from across the region, district, and state, including the Chief Inspector of Schools, the Director of Education, the school headmasters, the Right to Play Programs Director and Country Director, religious leaders from within the community and representatives of the Church attended.