International Educational Services

 Batik Textile Design

 Teacher Mante, Eastern Region

Cynthia Brakwa (center) IES textile instructor, conducts workshops in all IES villages to encourage more female entrepreneurship. Some graduates go on to open their own batik kiosks in the local markets. 

Since suffering a miscarriage in July 2011, Cynthia has been confined to her home.  But, we will soon continue with  our village workshops again and also open a batik business partnership in one of Accra's central markets. All IES profit will be donated to sustainable rural projects and programs.

 Care For The Sick

Degedege Village, B/A

This woman was afflicted with a thyroid condition due to a lack of iodized salt in her diet.  IES took her, as well as three others, for treatment at KATH, a teaching hospital in Kumasi.  So far, two of them have undergone surgery and fully recovered. IES paid all costs and we continue to monitor her progress.

  Medical Assessment

Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Asanti Region 

Kelvin, IES Coordinator (far right), accompanies a hearing impaired seven-year old girl (Edina, hugging her father) and a young man afflicted with leprosy(Isaac) to KATH in Kumasi for diagnosis and treatment. The date of this first trip was August 5, 2011. The child began hearing tests, but the young man's condition (since childhood) had, sadly, deteriorated beyond any possible medical remedy. He is not, however, contagious. Isaac and Edina are both residents of Degedege Village.

 Update On Edina's Care

Mr. Opoku and his daughter, Edina, at the very moment that the hearing aid had just been placed in her ear. Thus, after undergoing many tests, Edina was finally fitted on January 9, 2012.  She is now attending a school for deaf children in the Brong Ahafo Region.  We will continue to monitor Edina's progress. The  charges for all monthly clinic visits and the hearing aid were paid by Diana Brown, an IES supporter since our inception, in 1996. We are very grateful.  

 School Uniforms 

Yabraso Village, B/A 

 These are just a few of the students who received school uniforms from IES as a one-time gift to encourage parents to send all of their eligible children to school.  Although they are subsistence farmers, parents consistently assert that they do not want their children to become farmers.  IES takes them at their word. All IES uniforms have either a double line at the hem (girls) or a double line on the shirt (boys).  Love you, Yabraso!

Help For The Blind 

Boidai Village, B/A 

 Daniel Ayamga and his wife, Esther  (seated) are both totally blind and extremely poor.  Daniel's aged mother (standing) lives with them to offer whatever support she can.  There are now four children living with them, one a cousin.  IES has worked with the Ayamga family since 2006, trying to keep them afloat.  The task has proven monumental, but we have focused on the basics (food, shelter,water, clothing,medical attention, and education). Kelvin, IES Coordinator (standing in back), has now joined our team to assist this destitute family. 

 Sanitation

Kwabenya Village, Greater Accra

All too often we find trash and hazardous waste dumped in very close proximity to village school buildings.  These dump sites  can be left to grow as villagers carry their daily garbage to the school compound under the shield of darkness.  Although the local district assembly is responsible for garbage collection, a lack of money for doing so is the usual refrain.  IES organized a massive clean-up exercise at Kwabenya Village. We caught the attention of a district education official, who happened to make a visit to the school that day.  He stated that a plan to correct the problem had been formulated. 

  ORT

 Yabraso, B/A

Although the infant mortality rate is declining in West Africa, still far too many children die who could have lived.  IES teaches young mothers in the villages what to look for in their children's behavior that might indicate a need for oral rehydration therapy.  We also advise them to take their children to the hospital as soon as possible after giving the child ORT.  We demonstrate how to make the mixture and leave ingredients in a safe place for villagers use as needed.

 Census Taking

Degedege Village, B/A

Degedege Village has 120 homes. There are at least five people in each home.  The only sure way to assess  the health status, in particular, of each household member is to conduct house to house interviews.  After checking their health condition, IES tallies the school attendance of each child in the village who is of school age.  Many children are withdrawn from school between kindergarten and 6th grade.  We are making a concerted effort to stem the tide of illiteracy and poverty in Degedege caused by a weak educational structure and lack of teachers. Our Primary School Construction Project is one step IES has taken in the right direction towards encouraging parents to send their children to school through senior high school.

Teacher Training 

Although Ghana's chosen national language is English, many of the teachers-especially in the rural sectors-are extremely weak in this skill.  IES reaches out to teachers through the introduction of English language enrichment activities-for themselves, as well as the students. We found that Scrabble was a fun way to get them started. Reading to children in small groups will be our next major activity directed towards modeling introductory English language techniques for village teachers.  The materials are ready to be used and the children are "hungry" to learn.