Funds needed more than ever as Ramsbury charity extends Ghana feeding programme

A PRIMARY school teacher who embarked on a mission to feed starving schoolchildren in a remote part of Ghana is extending a feeding programme to the local secondary school, providing a daily cooked meal to a further 170 children.

Ramsbury resident Sarah Gardner, aged 31, left her job as a teacher at The Winchombe School, Newbury, to help improve the education of poverty-stricken children in Lawra, north-west Ghana.

In late 2012 her charity Action Through Enterprise (ATE) was born, and two months later she had rolled out a programme to provide a daily school meal for each child at Karbo Primary School, to get children into education rather than spending days searching for food to feed their families.

The programme has seen attendance rocket and 474 children now attend the primary school.

But, two years on, only 51 per cent of pupils leave the primary school to attend Karbo Junior High School (JHS), as their battle against hunger continues.

And so, from January 15, ATE will launch a feeding programme at JHS to provide meals for JHS children and staff, to encourage them to complete their final examinations, secure jobs and build a better future for the Lawra community.

Speaking to the Newbury Weekly News, Miss Gardner said: “As well as relieving hunger, these nutritious school lunches enable children to learn, giving them a chance to fight their way out of the dreadful poverty they were born into.

“I believe that a big part of them not moving on to JHS is due to the lack of feeding. They have no motivation to go. They’re hungry again.

“To get a job, be genuinely literate, and have good chances at a positive life - they have to complete JHS.

“Parents and teachers are enthusiastic and involved. It’s is a community project. The parents have all contributed to build the kitchen - both time, labour, materials and money required, ATE has not paid for the building of the kitchen. We want it to be a genuinely collaborative process.

“We are extremely emotional and excited about it.” However, to support both feeding programmes, ATE needs to raise a further £500 a month in standing orders alone, and is urging West Berkshire residents this Christmas to become a regular donor, no matter how small or large the contribution.

For more information on how you can help, visit www.ateghana.org or email Miss Gardner directly by emailing sarah@ateghana.org or call 07909 091920.