Learning is an intangible process, the diffusion of information and understanding from knowledgeable, patient teachers to engaged and enthusiastic students. This is the learning environment that Homeland Ghana strives for – by providing training and workshops in order to maximise teachers’ capabilities and understanding of student needs while minimising other stressors and challenges in children’s lives. However, there is a crucial materiality to this environment which is missing or lacking in many of our partner schools.
For many of us, school supplies represent something of indulgence or overconsumption. You might think of over-the-top school supplies hauls at the start of the academic year in which colourful stationery comes to symbolise good grades or an organised academic life. We also often see these resources as expendable, forgetting about our notebooks when they are half-full or losing our pens at the bottom of a bag.
As individuals who value education, it’s easy to see why access to basic supplies is so important for students. Without the ability to take notes or work through problems, learning becomes much more difficult. We are excited to announce our school supplies campaign and urge anyone who is able to donate to this worthy cause. Through the combination of our workshops, training, and resource distributions like these, we can progress in our goal of providing the basics that children need to thrive in and enjoy school.
