Deloitte and Spring-UP Global Network handed over a modern school library to four schools listed under the Adweso Cluster of Schools in the Eastern Region on Friday 6th October 2023.
The library, named the Adweso Cluster of School Library, has been stocked with over a thousand and three hundred books (1,300), with an Early Childhood Education (ECE) Corner, a reading floor, a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Corner, and books on diverse genres.
Handing over the facility, the Country Managing Partner for Deloitte, Mr Daniel Owusu encouraged the children to develop reading habits by making maximum use of the library. He also applauded the Project Team of Spring-UP Global Network for continuously exceeding his expectations. He said, “Since October 2022, your team has constantly completed renovation works on the libraries with great speed. Today, we open the 6th library under the Deloitte WorldClass Initiative and for that we applaud you.”
In her address, Madam Akorfa Ama Akoto, Executive Director of Spring-UP Global Network applauded Deloitte for their commitment to advancing literacy by funding the project. She commended the Project Team of the iRead iLead Educational Campaign, led by Mr Oppong Kwesi Eric for the timely completion of the libraries.
As part of the ceremony, Coderina, an independent non-profit organization Ed-Tech that works to promote ICT development, Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Africa, donated a laptop and a LEGO kit to support the facilitation of robotics lessons in the library.
Presenting the laptop and LEGO kit, Mr Ben McDjan Amoakoh, the Executive Director of Coderina said “We are excited about the impact the libraries are making and as an organization promoting ICT development, we are happy to complement this library with these items to facilitate robotics training sessions in the library.”
Trinity Presbyterian Model School, St. Dominic RC A Basic School, St. Dominic RC B Basic School and Adweso SDA Basic School are the four (4) schools listed under the Adweso Cluster of Schools and the library will serve over two thousand (2,000) learners in these schools.
Receiving the facility on behalf of the Ghana Education Service, the New Juaben North GES Education Director, Madam Berveley Dansoa Bartels applauded Deloitte and Spring-UP Global Network for the facility and commended them for supporting GES to improve learning outcomes through libraries.
Also present at the commissioning were Deloitte Ghana Country Managing Partner, Mr Daniel Kwadwo Owusu; Deloitte Africa WorldClass Lead, Joseph Edward Mensah; Abena Biney, West Africa Sustainability Leader; Charlotte Forson Abbey, Audit Partner Deloitte; New Juaben North Municipal Director of Education, Beverly Dansoa Bartels; Local Manager of Presby Schools, Adweso, Rev Eric Yeboah; Executive Director, Coderina, Ben McDjan Amoakoh; Executive Director, Spring- UP Global Network, Akorfa Ama Akoto; Project Director, iRead iLead Educational Campaign, Mr Oppong Kwesi Eric; Head, Trinity Presbyterian Model School, Vivian Obuobisa-Darko; Head, St. Dominic RC A Basic School, Susan Newman; Head, St. Dominic RC B Basic School, Agnes Atiemo; Head, Adweso SDA Basic School, Sheila Oye.
ABOUT THE DELOITTE WORLDCLASS INITIATIVE
WorldClass is Deloitte’s organization-wide global initiative, which seeks to prepare 100 million futures for a world of opportunity by 2030. This bold ambition exemplifies how we live our Purpose, making an impact that matters, by addressing global challenges in society. By aligning to a common goal and mission, Deloitte is inspiring increased commitment and investment in education, skills development, and access to opportunity.
ABOUT THE IREAD ILEAD CAMPAIGN
iRead iLead Campaign and iRead iLead Literacy program is a 10-year strategic educational campaign launched in January 2020. The campaign focuses on refurbishing and/or building libraries and establishing Reading and Writing clubs (LitChild Club) in rural and deprived basic schools with a focus on nurturing tomorrow’s effective leaders through reading.
PARTNERSHIP WITH SPRING-UP GLOBAL NETWORK
In September 2022, Deloitte announced the launch of its global initiative ‘WorldClass’ in Ghana, which aims to refurbish and restock eight libraries in rural and deprived basic schools. The initiative is aimed at positively impacting over 35,000 children by 2030. Deloitte named Spring-UP Global Network, a youth-led not-for-profit, working to bridge the literacy gap between children in rural and urban Ghana, as a partner to realize its WorldClass purpose. This partnership will see Deloitte and Spring-UP Global Network renovate and refurbish eight (8) school libraries, making secure and conducive school libraries accessible to over 35,000 children in Ghana. As an add-on incentive and intervention, the partnership will also launch Reading and Writing clubs in the beneficiary primary and Junior High Schools in Ghana. In addition, the staff of Deloitte Ghana will collectively invest over 1000 hours to participate in reading and mentorship sessions for students in the first year of the program.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Five(5) of the eight(8) school libraries under the Deloitte WorldClass Initiative have been commissioned in the Greater Accra, Ashanti Region and Eastern Regions; serving more than 14,000 students.
The school library commissioned in the Eastern Region on 6th October 2023 is the fifth school to benefit from Deloitte’s WorldClass Initiative in Ghana.