Assemblies of God Church establishes 364 basic schools in Ghana
The Assemblies of God (AG) Church in Ghana has established a total of 364 basic schools across the country to improve quality education.
The Church, through its Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), AG Care Ghana, aim to create more opportunities to educate the citizenry, especially in deprived communities in Ghana.
Reverend Stephen Yenusom Wengam, General Superintendent of AG Church, Ghana, who disclosed this, said leadership of the Church through the NGO, would continue to set the pace in its development work through livelihood empowerment, vocational skills training and access to quality education and health.
Reverend Wengam was speaking at the opening of the 31st Biennial General Council meeting in Navrongo, in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality of the Upper East Region.
The meeting brought together Pastors and leaders of the church across the country, on the theme: “Send the light.”
The General Superintendent noted that the AG Care Ghana was active, and its visibility increased more in the Eastern, Northern, Greater Accra, North East and in the Upper East Regions through its community infrastructure programme.
He said under the programme, three basic school blocks, three-unit teachers and nurses’ accommodation, and rain-harvesting facilities were provided.
He said their education programme expanded its reach and served over 12,000 basic school pupils in underprivileged rural communities, “In addition, five new modern model Early Childhood Education centres were constructed, commissioned and handed over to underprivileged communities,” he added.
He said the Church through the AG Care Ghana, supported the training of Early Childhood Education teachers, School Management Committees, supervisors and further provided teaching and learning materials to support and improve learning outcomes in deprived communities, especially among children under six years.
On the Livelihood Empowerment Programme of the AG Care Ghana, Reverend Wengam said the programme which had over the years rescued several young girls from child marriage, trafficking, and exploitation, was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but resumed after the pandemic.
“To the glory of God, it has resumed with a new collaborative approach with the Madina Central Assemblies of God with funding support from Kerk in Actie to provide vocational based skills training for over 100 of such girls in the next two years.
“AG Care has also empowered 750 women in five rural communities through skills training, and the village savings loans scheme to improve their economic well-being, and promote active participation in decision-making in the communities,” the General Superintendent said.
Former President John Dramani Mahama, who was the Special Guest of Honour at the meeting, said the Church and the State were partners in development as the Church did not only address the spiritual needs of the people, but their physical needs.
He said the partnership between the Church and the State covered the education and health sectors, “So many Churches have hospital facilities, health centres, schools and other facilities for educating our people.”
The former President, who is a member of the Ringway AG Church in Accra, noted that the State did its part as a primary responsibility, and explained that due to scarcity of resources, the help of the Church was highly appreciated.
Mr Mahama said several Churches had also invested in secondary, primary, tertiary, and vocational institutions, but a few like the AG Church had invested in skills training, and said it was time for Churches to scale-up skills training to support children who were not endowed to continue with secondary education.
Source: GNA