Community Center

Dorothy Engmann

Interviews conducted by the CAHP with local parents reveal, in many cases, their own lack of education, but they aspire to a better future for their children. School attendance can be erratic because the parents lack the finances for the associated costs (uniforms, lunches, stationery etc), and the home environment is not conducive for study. Sometimes the children are required to stay away from school in order to assist the parents in their various modest income-generating activities.

The local schools also need more resources, and teachers are forced to adopt a ‘chalk and talk’ pedagogy. Our Outreach Education Project seeks to build upon and enhance the current educational resources. We aim to motivate the children and young people to develop a spirit of inquiry, critical thinking and transferable skills. Thus equipped, they will be able to seek better employment in the future, and an enhanced quality of life.

Our Community Center is a visionary, inclusive and accessible space for teaching and learning. It is a space where people of all ages, abilities and socio-economic backgrounds can enjoy access. They can then play a key role in developing the community’s identity: a springboard for community revitalization and optimism.

“CAHP scores a resounding success with a first-ever event in our Osu community – a free painting workshop for grandmas and grandpas, with snacks! Would they come? Yes they did! The first cohort arrived one hour before the start time, and by the end of the workshop, the numbers had swelled to almost 50! Big smiles, jokes and laughter between old friends and neighbours, as our volunteer artists helped them to create a painting to take home.

One grandma came back the next day, requesting a re-run…………”