Lack of funding is hindering access to education at various levels in the Oforikrom municipality of Ashanti region.

To help improve the situation, the subchief of Asante Akyem Bompata traditional area, Nana Fosuhene Apenten Boakye Yiadom, has launched the Stand Together Foundation to support underprivileged children in the community to access education.

Beneficiaries will be supported with academic fees and accommodation expenses.

According to the Ghana Statistical Service, Over 1.2 million children of school of school-going age (4 to 17 years) are not attending school.

The report indicates that almost one million children of this number have never attended school.

The primary reason is multidimensional poverty.

The Stand Together Foundation currently has 12 brilliant and needy pioneer beneficiaries. 

According to Nana Fosuhene Apenten Boakye, the situation is critical and the Foundation will scout for those who need aid. 

He is hopeful that collaboration with stakeholders will strengthen the impact of the foundation and give rise to a literate community. 

“The challenges I was facing during my childhood education motivated me to come to support the community because people are facing similar challenges currently.  

“We will be collaborating with parents and guardians to make it comprehensive to help children who are brilliant and needy and do have the capacity. It is up to us to identify their abilities. And whatever their abilities, we support them. We select such students for the foundation to support them financially throughout their education from primary to any level. I see this as a collective responsibility that all persons and stakeholders should be on board to broaden the impact of this deed,” he said. 

Assembly member of the Oforikrom electoral area, Ofori Kyerekyera, said the initiative will ease the educational limitations facing the community.  

He appealed to the government and other well-meaning Ghanaians to support such efforts. 

“This initiative from Nana will truly help my people. Most of my children are much more intelligent. Their learning materials and funding are becoming a problem for most parents. And this programme will truly help my people and we are very grateful for it. 

“Most of the schools in my community lack infrastructure and logistics, and these are the initiatives that ease the burden of these problems. I plead with philanthropists, government, and stakeholders who will truly help the community establish more infrastructure to these schools so that at the end of the day, students will come out with flying colors,” he said.