Throughout September, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints contributed to projects improving education for school children in Kenya and Ghana.
Kenya Nairobi East Mission President David Onekawa explained at the donation ceremony of new classrooms in Kenya why the Church invests time and funds into improving education.
“We believe in the rising generation, in raising people up so they can be self-reliant and have the ability to work and plan out their own lives and so create their own futures.”
Computer lab in Ghana
On Sept. 23, the Church and nongovernmental organization Citizens Taking Responsibility donated a new information and technology lab with 40 computers to the Brofoyedur Mangoase D. A. Community Basic School. The school — located in the Mangoase Traditional Area in Ghana’s Central Region — serves 417 students.
Nana Barima Adu-Twum I, development chief of the Mangoase Traditional Area, expressed his gratitude to the Church during the donation ceremony.
“I believe strongly that this day will go down in history as a game changer as we seek to bridge the poverty gap through technology for these young ones,” he said.
Thomas Appiah — a member of the Church and founder of Citizens Taking Responsibility — first pledged 40 computers to the school, where he had once been a student. He only asked that an appropriate place to house the computers be prepared.
Appiah sought the Church’s help to make that happen.
The Church took on a renovation of the designated computer lab, replacing the roof, installing burglar bars and air conditioning, upgrading electrical wiring and providing 40 desks and chairs, according to the Church’s Africa Newsroom.
Swedru Ghana Stake President Amos Wallace spoke at the donation ceremony, elaborating on ways the Church supports education and self-reliance, such as BYU–Pathway Worldwide.
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is committed to developing the rising generation through the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and through quality education.”
New school building in Kenya
Also on Sept. 23, a new school building was officially handed over to Jila Primary School in Kilifi County, Kenya.
The Interreligious Council of Kenya launched the construction project in 2024 with support from the Church, UNICEF, Mombasa Cement Limited and Kenya’s State Department of Economic Planning.
Now completed, the building houses four classrooms furnished with desks, an administrative office and washroom, reported the Church’s Africa Newsroom.
President Onekawa and his wife, Sister Lenise Onekawa, represented the Church at the donation ceremony.
“When we invest in our rising generation, we invest in ourselves and our future,” President Onekawa said to the spectators.
Flora Mbetsa Chibule, deputy governor of Kilifi County, said the donation will give the children a future of hope.
“Everyone has the potential of becoming whoever they want to be, to become the best version of themselves.”
Borehole in Ghana
On Sept. 26, the Asonomaso Nkwanta M.A. Primary and Junior Secondary School in Asonomaso Nkwanta, Ghana, received a new borehole, which will provide clean water for 500 students and 23 teachers.
After school hours, the borehole will also serve as a water source for approximately 1,000 nearby residents, reported the Church’s Africa Newsroom.
“May this water facility quench the thirst for knowledge, inspire dreams and contribute to the growth of our school,” said Gladys Opoku, primary headmistress of the school, at the donation ceremony.
A strong underground iron presence had prevented previous attempts to install a borehole.
The Church designed an iron-filtration system which rendered the water safe to drink after rigorous testing.
President Richard Osei Yaw, first counselor in the Ejisu Ghana Stake presidency, spoke at the donation ceremony, noting that the sacrifices of Church members worldwide are dedicated to blessing the lives of God’s children everywhere.
Opoku called the efforts a “lasting testimony of the good humanitarian projects the Church is doing.”
