We are really excited to announce the launch of a partnership with the Ghana Drillers Charity. We were approached by the group earlier this year to help improve access to quality education in Ahobre, in the Jomoro District of Ghana’s Western Region. The Ghana Drillers Charity have been generously supporting this community for a number of years.
Every quarter, Environment, Health & Safety objectives are set which guide the performance of the Oil Rig Crews. These objectives range from working injury-free, safe-guarding the environment and high participation in pro-active behavioural-based safety observation programs. Upon successful achievement of these objectives at the end of each quarter the relevant award is paid to each crew member on board the rigs.
Some members of the rig crew decided to donate their individual rewards to charity to help the local community. The Ahobre District Assembly Primary and Junior High School has over 800 pupils and serves a large fishing population. This community was chosen as the beneficiary of the Ghana Drillers Charity, due to the need and the community’s close link with the ocean, upon which the rigs activities may impact.
This charity effort was initiated by the crew of the Eirik Raude in 2010 with the Sedco Energy and West Leo drilling rig crews joining when these rigs arrived in Ghana. Currently, there are 50 donors supporting this worthy cause.
Since 2010 the Ahobre District Assembly Primary and Junior High School has benefited from this charity program, with various donations made in an effort to help improve the standard and quality of education, and quality of life of the pupils and teachers. These donations were in the form of exercise books and notebooks, pens, pencils and a poly tank for storage of fresh water, science books, story books and plumbing accessories for maintenance of the school toilets. Also donated for promotion of healthy living and sport were sets of football jerseys, footballs and sport kits.
The support has been gladly received by the school, the chief, the District Chief Executive, the representative of Ghana Education Service and the members of the community.
This year the Ghana Drillers Charity, in partnership with the community, has identified inadequate classroom infrastructure as the major challenge being faced by the school. In view of this, the members of the Ghana Drillers Charity approached the Sabre Trust and we have now formed a partnership to provide an Early Childhood Learning Complex.
The new school will prototype a revised version of Sabre’s current kindergarten school design, and the project includes funding for the redesign process. It also includes a two year teacher training programme for the teachers and head teacher from Ahobre and Ghana Education Service officers from Jomoro District.
The goal of the Ahobre project is to develop a model kindergarten school, both in terms of school facilities and teaching practice, which will be a focal point for quality kindergarten education in the Jomoro District, in the same way that Sabre’s recent project at Amenano has become a model school in Shama District. In total the project will construct five classrooms, two for kindergarten and three for the lower primary school, providing a high quality early years learning environment for the Ahobre community.
The Ghana Drillers Charity has committed $233,022 in funding for this project so far and are aiming to raise a further $119,040.
This is a really exciting step towards the expansion of our Building Better Schools programme into the Western Region of Ghana and beyond.
Watch this space for more project updates on our dedicated blog.
Pictured above: The Ghana Driller Charity with our Managing Director Dominic Bond, Programme Director Nick Parish and Construction Programme Manager Lawrence Mensah
