CODERGIRLZ IN GHANA

SUMMERS OF 2022 & 2023

For the past two summers, the CoderGirlz program went to Accra, Ghana to teach children K-8 at the Future Leaders School (Billa Mahmud Memorial).  I lived with a host family and taught classes in computers, mathematics, and English for several weeks each summer.  Please see the Gallery section of this website for a video with more pictures of Ghana and the Future Leaders School.

All of the students were very eager to learn and always participated during the lessons.  It was thrilling to be able to answer questions, tutor one-on-one, and help them with their homework.  Everyone at the school was very welcoming, and they were always friendly.  The classrooms there were very different from the spacious, air-conditioned classrooms we find in the United States.  Pencils and erasers were treasured and shared between students so there were enough to go around.  However, all of the students were generous and made the most of each lesson.

We donated laptops, a drone, and school supplies to the school in order to help expand their computer program, which was made up of around nine working laptops that were very out of date.  All of the students shared the laptops and mice despite the cramped arrangement.  After school on Fridays, there are several clubs that met to use the computers.  One of the clubs was called the science club.  During the club meetings, we taught them how to fly the drone we brought.  None of the kids or teachers had ever seen a drone before, so it was a huge success.  All of them were very eager to learn how to fly it, and they were quickly performing tricks and acrobatics.  The resounding cheers after they learned they could keep the drone even after it was time for us to leave showed how enthusiastic they were about technology.