World ORT and Coconut Grove Beach Resort, Ghana, are launching the training of women STEM instructors in Elmina, Ghana to provide young girls and women with the skills and knowledge necessary to cope with the complexities and uncertainties of their environments, and foster economic self-sufficiency, mobility, and a sense of identity.

Course instructors will be female volunteer students from the local universities, Elmina and Cape Coast. The instructors will receive college credit and internship experience for teaching young girls in the Technology Center.

The Center and student volunteers will conduct active outreach to children from low-income families who otherwise lack access to computers and online learning. Marketing efforts will ensure that the courses offered address the interests and skill level of local children.

The project will provide a foundation for future livelihood development and skills training for the female project beneficiaries. ORT will help young girls and women use and strengthen literacy and vocational skills through the application of information technology and to understand the link between lifelong learning and income generation. The mission of ORT, for more than 140 years, is the advancement of people through training and education.

Project sustainability is strengthened by the commitment of the local partner which is Coconut Grove Beach Resort, whose ongoing philanthropic activities support maintenance and running expenses of the Nduom Community Library.

Coconut Grove Beach Resort provides accounting and administrative assistance to the library on an ongoing basis. The project takes advantage of the numerous free software programs, many of which enable girls to undertake self-guided learning among peers working on the same course, creating a supportive environment.

The free library registered an increasing number of visitors over the past year, with a weekly average of 390 community members accessing the book and magazine collection and visiting the library’s computer room. ORT will provide equipment to convert this room in the library into a dynamic Technology Center for Learning including a smart board and projector, a 3-D screen and other teaching materials.

It will offer a wide variety of free computer-based courses daily for children and young adults. Courses for these girls will utilize tablets with protective covers designed for young users to encourage them to interact with technology.

Courses will run throughout the day, with after school and weekend courses offered in selected STEM fields such as graphic design, coding, 3-D modeling, game design, video editing, language acquisition, and academic subjects including math and science, as well as various educational games. The student volunteers/instructors will receive tool kits to use in the instruction of STEM training to the beneficiaries.

Courses will take advantage of a wealth of online learning programs, many of which have free access, including Khan Academy, E-Learning for Kids, Duolingo, Everyday Math, and Coding for Kids, among others.

These self-directed learning resources will provide a base for sustainable learning activities in the Technology Center, with instruction and assistance provided to children working independently or participating in instructor-led courses, with facilitators drawn from the skilled professionals within the Elmina community as well as university students from Nduom School of Business & Technology, Elmina.

The software will facilitate a broad range of activities as well as free software such as Blender, Unreal Engine, and Sculptras. The smart board and projector will facilitate group lessons. Instructors (student volunteers) will lead courses on a wide range of subjects as described above. Some courses will be  self-directed while others will be taught by an instructor, both under the direction of an instructor.  Courses can be completed by student at their own pace.

Selection of the student volunteers/instructors will be made based on educational background, course of study, and teaching experience.  Student volunteers will receive college credit and internship experience for their role as course instructors. 

Approximately six student instructors will be recruited to teach the young girls. Each student instructor will receive ORT STEM training of trainers instruction. Each student instructor will train approximately 4 – 6 girls aged 9 years and up for 2 – 3 lessons per week for two months to begin as soon as the student instructors complete the ORT STEM training. 

About World ORT

World ORT is an international charity organization registered in Switzerland with headquarters in London, United Kingdom. World ORT is the largest Jewish education and vocational training non-governmental organization in the world.  Started in 1880, today ORT is operational in 30 countries and helps more than 300,000 students annually around the world.

Coconut Grove Beach Resort is a world class hotel located in the Central region of Ghana, specifically Elmina. It is the preferred choice for rest and relaxation.