By Julius K. Satsi, GNA
Denu (V/R), Oct. 1, GNA - The Embassy of Israel in Ghana and Helpapp an Israeli Non-Governmental Organisation, have offered various services to the Chicago Basic School at Denu.
About 39 Helpapp volunteers are already in Denu providing teaching assistance to teacher of the Basic School; which is a mixed up of children from the mainstream system and others with special needs.
The volunteers also partnered with the community to provide portable water supply and a conducive bathroom to the school.
The Israeli Embassy on behalf of Mashav, another Israeli International Aid organisation, also supported five handicapped children in the school with wheelchairs.
Ms Gal Ben-Haim, a member of the Helpapp volunteers and a lawyer by profession, told the media in an interview that the volunteers would impart enhanced teaching skills to teachers.
She said: “We’ve been living here with the people. Our aim is to make the school a little better for the pupils and to provide some basic needs that the school did not have.
“We want the school to be an important place for the community so that the kids could still come even after classes”.
She said volunteers were also building a library for the school which would be stocked with the books and some donations from the people of Israel.
She said Helpapp has in past sent volunteers to South Africa, Uganda, and Ghana is among the latest to be added to the increasing list of nations benefiting from their assistance.
The volunteers comprises of people with various professional background including doctors, lawyers, soldiers, and teachers.
Madam Shani Cooper, the Israeli Ambassador speaking to the Ghana News Agency, said “when we heard that there was a group of people coming to Denu to volunteer, we knew that this is our place”.
She said Israelis considers volunteerism as unilateral action; development based on cooperation with the beneficiary community”.
Madam Cooper said Helpapp was bringing the various equipment needed to accomplish the various tasks and has engaged local professionals - carpenters, masons and electricians to undertake take the task.
She said the donations and volunteering exercise was important because “we are here as the state of Israel working for cooperation and strengthening relations between Israel and Ghana and it is not one-sided.
“Our Prime Minister has decided that Africa will be on high priority in the agenda of Israel and this is why we are here”.
Mr Wisdom Kordorwu, the Headmaster of Chicago Basic School, commended the volunteers and the Embassy for the show of love to the school and community at large.
He said the school established in 1968 as a middle school was later converted to a basic school in 2011 to create room for improved performance of the Basic Education Certificate Examination.
He said the school currently has four units; namely the Kindergarten, the unit for Children with Special Needs, the Primary unit and the Junior High School unit with a total enrolment of 800 pupils.
She commended Helpapp for initiating the various projects in the school in the form of the painting of the classroom block and the school’s fence wall, installation of a borehole, establishment of a school library, extension of disability-friendly walkway, and practical lessons in basic one to nine among others.
GNA
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