Surrey alumni making a mark 47
This makes it possible for all their children, particularly daughters, to regularly attend school. Before this, most girls were kept at home to help look aſter their siblings and work on the land. It also provides simple rooms for women teachers so they feel safe and stay in post.
In addition to the primary and junior schools supported by the charity, it has also established seven vocational schools. Young women with no or little prior schooling are taught reading, writing, arithmetic, entrepreneurship and health education and given training in trades that will enable them to earn a living locally, to encourage them not to travel to the cities for menial work.
Lynne, who graduated from Surrey with an MSc in the Practice of Science Education in 1979, said: “We see the girls and women just growing in confidence, having greater control of their lives and having ambition. Fewer girls are getting married at an early age, some go on to university and others set up local industries in their village and make life healthier and happier for their families.
“The real key to our success is that the local communities respect the work of the charity and actively work to help us – it is their project. We are so grateful for the support we have from all sectors of the local communities and all religious groups. The imams, village women and PTAs are particularly helpful. I only visit at most once a year as they don’t need me!”
Clearly the local people think otherwise. Lynne is so well respected by those she works with that she was made the first female chief of the Mamprusi tribe in 1996, followed by Queen of all Philanthropists of the Gonja tribe in 2003, and Queen of Peace and Friendship of the Dagomba tribe in 2012.
In tribute to Lynne, Isaac Mumuni Dramani, the chief executive of the Sawla district which is home to one of the vocational schools, said: “Before you came to our aid we had no hope. Our young girls ran across the border thinking they could be rich. They were taken as slaves and came home when they were so sick they could no longer work. They came home to die.”
For Lynne, there is still much to do. With so many girls now attending primary school there is a great need for more junior
schools to continue education up to the age of 16. This is a real testament to the success of the project - 20 years ago, only five per cent of women in Northern Ghana could read or write.
Lynne said: “Every time I go back it takes my breath away to see how much we have achieved, but it also reminds me how dangerous and deprived the region is. Our vision is to make malnutrition, disease and poverty a thing of the past. This can best be achieved through education. We are there to help the forgotten communities.”
The project enables girls in particular to regularly attend school
“The real key to our success is that the local communities respect the work of the charity and actively work to help us – it is their project.”
The lives of 350,000 children have been improved through the Wulugu Project
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