Our Work
The primary objective of Kokrobite Chiltern Centre is to enable the local children to attend school. We believe that, by gaining an education, new opportunities become available that ultimately lead to successful and satisfying careers. Our work that initially started by purely funding children to attend school has now grown into an exciting array of interlinked projects that are all working to enhance the life of the children while they are at school:
We fund children to attend school
KCC offers direct support and sponsorship to approximately 150 children and young people to enable them to access and maintain an education. KCC works on the basis of engagement with the entire family, and not just the sponsored children. Approximately 50 – 60% of the families that KCC supports consists of one or more adults who have either never attended school themselves, or have had to leave education at an early stage, typically during the primary school years. Without intervention by KCC directly with the families, there may be a lack of family support for children to attend as they are then unavailable to undertake economic activities such as fishing. This can often result in children being removed from school by the family.
The first generation of children sponsored by KCC are now proud university graduates, and they serve as a strong example of the opportunities that are available to children if they obtain a good education.
In the classroom
The first KCC Learning Centre
We build and run learning centres
The KCC Learning Centres are a haven for children to attend after school and on Saturday mornings for additional learning. This may be to receive help with homework or to engage in arts and play based activities in a safe and stimulating environment. Average attendance is 150 children per day on a weekday, and 200 children on Saturdays.
The Learning Centres also double as a general purpose space, used for activities as diverse as: Teacher Training workshops, Adult Education Classes and Computer Coding and Robotics workshops.
The first KCC Learning Centre (known by the same name) was built adjacent to the home of Jane and Martial, and commissioned in 2013. The second Learning Centre, known as the Sankofa Learning Centre was commissioned in October 2023 at a location closer to the centre of Kokrobite village.
We support local schools
KCC assists twelve (12) local schools with teacher training and planning, as well as the provision of resource materials such as a stationary, sanitary facilities and a Mobile Library.
Particular emphasis is given to the schools which KCC sponsored children attend, to ensure the children receive good quality education. Having a relationship with these schools also ensures a degree of continuity between the school programmes and the after-school activities delivered through both Learning Centres.
We offer teacher training
The KCC Learning Centre runs teacher training programmes throughout the year to help local teachers with lesson planning and teaching techniques. These programmes bring together teachers from the community to discuss and debate strategies and practices aimed at improving the quality of teaching in Kokrobite and surrounding villages. KCC visits schools to observe and practise teaching techniques with local teachers. We also encourage the use of the Mobile Libraries that we provide to a selected number of schools, in support of our Literacy Programme.
We run a library service
KCC supports 12 schools with a Mobile Library programme, by providing a collection of Fiction, Non-Fiction and Phonics books which are graded by reading ability. The books are rotated between schools to ensure sufficient variety and to address the full range of reading abilities of the children at each level. Due to the lack of availability of books in Ghana, part of the collection has to be imported from the UK
KCC also operates a library at each of its Learning Centres. Children have access to a wide variety of books and computer resources.
Books from the mobile library
Building robots
We deliver a computer coding and robotics programme
In 2023, KCC introduced computer coding and robotics to its after-school programme, by means of a partnership with the Ghana Coding Club. Children are being introduced to basic concepts of computer programming, and are then able to apply the programming techniques to create their own simple games and animations, and eventually to build their own mini robots.
Even though the project is in its infancy, the majority of children have been able to apply programming concepts such as sequences, repetition, variables and statements to create their own simple games and animations. This is a promising start for children with no prior knowledge of computer programming.
The project will go on to encourage creativity, problem-solving, and hands-on learning. Eventually, their experience will allow the children to work practically with electronics and circuits, to design and create everyday devices.
We hold dental outreach clinics
In 2023, KCC held its first Mobile Dental Clinic in conjunction with University of Ghana Dental School. It was led by Dr Christine Pitt, a recently qualified dentist, who volunteered with KCC while she was a dental School student. More than 300 children and a number of adults were seen with treatments carried out including cleaning, fillings and extractions. Paediatric dentists were in attendance as well as oral hygienists, dental nurses, dental students and administration staff. Children received education on oral hygiene. Toothpaste and toothbrushes were distributed amongst all those who attended. It was a very successful event, which KCC plans to repeat in the future.
We train sports teams
A very popular after-school activity that the KCC has run since 2006 is the Little Rock football team spanning three age groups for boys (U12, U15 and U17). All players have to attend school, to be part of the squad. The teams and players are all registered by the Ghana Football Association, allowing for top professional teams to scout and select players.
We expanded our football activities to include a girls team in 2022 – the Agojies. They have made a very promising start, and we expect to see the numbers grow in the coming years.
With Martial at the helm, who is 2nd in command in the District FA, the teams have been very successful in their respective leagues. The ability to engage in a structured and organised club is a rare and precious opportunity for many in rural Ghana. KCC ensures that all players are covered under the National Health Insurance scheme.
Little Rock United FC and The Agojies
Bottle building a water tank
We develop sustainability projects
Bottle Building
KCC is committed to helping improve the infrastructure of educational environments as well as building new spaces. In order to build in a sustainable and cost-effective way, KCC has adopted the bottle building technique. This is achieved using old plastic bottles filled with mud or sediment and binding them with concrete or laterite. Some benefits of this technique, apart from its cost effectiveness and sustainability, is that the structures are earthquake proof and easy to build.
KCC constructed a school classroom in 2013 as the first pilot project, and thereafter embarked on an ambitious project to construct a community literacy centre and library known as the Sankofa Learning Centre, close to the centre of Kokrobite village. The new centre was commissioned in October 2023.
Information on our black soldier fly farm, rocket stoves, solar panels and the aquaponics projects will follow shortly.
We host volunteers
The KCC welcomes and encourages volunteers. School groups, football teams and other visitors have made a lasting and sustainable impact on the community, whilst also learning a lot about Ghana. Please visit the Volunteer With Us page to learn more about volunteering opportunities.
Volunteers in locally made dresses
We celebrate with an annual Christmas party
Christmas time is a joyous and busy time of year for many, especially at KCC. The group organises a series of events including barbeques and a children’s party at the home of Jane and Martial. At least 1200 children attend from a range of local villages surrounding Kokrobite. These parties ensure that the local children are prioritised and feel valued. In this way they can celebrate being a child and have fun. Every child who attends gets a wrapped gift. In addition, on Christmas day Jane and Martial are joined by volunteers to distribute gifts and treats to those children in surrounding villages who are not able to attend KCC programmes.
The Christmas Party fun
If you wish to find out more about our work, click here to read our newsletters.
We are very grateful for the kind support we have received from all of our donors and volunteers as it has allowed us to continue our work with the families of the Kokrobite area.