UK-based charity, School in a Bag, with the support of Wiley’s Finest UK and Trashy Bags Africa has handed out 436 fully equipped schoolbags to children in schools in the Eastern Region.

Children at Kewum-Atobrinya Basic School and Huapa D/A Basic School, near Asustsuare, each received a SchoolBag containing all necessary elements for learning, from exercise books and writing equipment to a comprehensive hygiene kit including nose masks and hand sanitiser.

School in a Bag has helped thousands of children around the world who are deprived of an education. To date, they have funded over 129,000 school bags across 50 countries worldwide, with over 5,000 of these being handed out in Ghana alone.

Over ₵54,000 was raised by Wiley’s Finest UK, a UK-based Wild Alaskan Fish Oil supplement company, by donating 20% of all its sales of children’s products to support the project.

The Sales Director, Wiley’s Finest UK, Savio Joanes said: “To have such a direct impact on so many children’s lives is wonderful. Children will receive pens, pencils, books for their education as well as hygiene products such as face (nose) masks, toothpaste and eating utensils. By encouraging people to invest in their children’s health through sustainably sourced fish oils, we are transforming the life of another child.”

Wiley’s Finest UK requested School in a Bag’s partner, Trashy Bags Africa, to produce and pack the school bags made from recycled water-sachets. The initiative, based in Accra, sees members of the local community collect thousands of discarded water sachets from gutters and drains. Employees then sew sachets together to create the schoolbag which is then filled with educational and hygiene items. Not only does this help with the education of Ghanaian children, but it also provides local employment, clears waste and coastlines, prevents plastic pollution in the oceans, and raises community awareness of recycling.

The CEO of Trashy Bags Africa, Philip Foster said: “As a Ghanaian social enterprise, we understand the importance of educating the next generation on reducing plastic waste. By supplying the recycled school bags, this does not only help build their own knowledge in the classroom but also educates them on the issues faced internationally plastic waste.”

For The Future Ghana (FTF Ghana), a Ghanaian charity made up of young people with the aim of organising outreach programmes and mentoring underprivileged children into ethical leaders has been instrumental in selecting and attending the schools to hand out the school bags.

FTF Ghana's partnership with School in a Bag has seen more than 600 children in underprivileged areas provided with adequate learning and personal hygiene materials, thus helping School in a Bag and Trashy Bags Africa achieve its goal while putting smiles on the faces of little ones.

“Without a school bag, many children have to remember everything they are taught, as they don’t have a pen or pencil to write anything down. That’s the unbelievably tough reality for many children. We’re pleased to be supported by Wiley’s Finest. The fact that the company has chosen Trashy Bags Africa is exciting as together we can clean up the streets of Ghana and employ locals who turn discarded water sachets into a vital school bag for a child. It’s a triple win,” Luke Simon, the Founder and CEO, School in a Bag added.