The Savannah Story

The location | The need | Why ‘Savannah’? | Why education? | The partners

It is not possible to understand the work of Savannah without knowing a little of the area in which it works and the story of how we come to work in one of the poorest regions in the world.

So far…

When the Trustees visited northern Ghana in 2003 they met many children like Msperimer.

But it was the local community in the village of Bagri, as well as the Baptist churches, that asked them to consider help.

Laying the foundations

After prayerful consideration they decided to form a charity to help children in the remote, rural (“savannah”) areas of northern Ghana. The first school was a primary school in Bagri village.

The charity registered with the Charity Commission in July 2004, and subsequently held useful discussions with the British government, the Ghanaian education service and a wide range of charities already working in northern Ghana.

The charity was publicly launched in February 2005, following a visit by the Trustees to Ghana. This established working links with the programme manager in northern Ghana as well as the government and the local community.

The first school

The main construction of the infant and primary school in Bagri took place during 2005 and 2006, and the first phase of buildings were opened in October 2006. A nursery, teachers’ accommodation block and toilet block were subsequently added.

An online video of the opening of Bagri Primary School gives a feeling for what all this means for the local community:

Alongside the new school, the Trust launched programmes to feed the pupils each school day and help to train teachers. When devastating floods hit the area in 2007, the feeding programme was expanded to provide some emergency relief.

Building on success

During 2009 the decision was made to expand into the villages of Gberi and Pavuu.

From the start of 2010 the charity in Ghana was put on a more formal footing with the full time employment of a Programme Manager (Pastor Charles Karbo) and an assistant (Alfred Sogsou). They are supported by a number of consultants who work for the charity on a part-time basis.

We have been encouraged by the kind interest and support of supporters in the UK and across the world, who have contributed generously allowing these activities to take place. Above all, we acknowledge the goodness of God as we trace the story of Savannah from its small beginnings to today.