Building Schools

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For children living in these remote villages of northern Ghana attending school each day has, until now, been only a dream.

Savannah Education Trust is building schools in the villages surrounding the district capital of Lawra, allowing children to attend school for the first time.

Our first Christian school opened in 2006 and the work has subsequently been expanded into other villages.

How schools are built

Click here to see a photo diary of the school building process.

The schools are built through a self-help programme. They are constructed by the local community, using local materials. The whole village is in no doubt that the school belongs to them. A borehole, funded by the Trust, provides clean water for the school and is also available for the villagers to use.

The Trust is working closely with government, represented by the Ghana Education Services (part of the local District Assembly). The government fund the ongoing costs of teachers.

Each building project is managed by a small community committee. The schools are affiliated to the local Baptist church but are open to every child in the surrounding area, irrespective of religion. The education is free.

As well as the main school building, each school has a separate nursery. This allows the older children to concentrate on their studies without having to care for their younger siblings.

Footage demonstrating a school day at Bagri Baptist Primary School is shown on this video: