about st nic's

St Nicholas Mission Academy is a registered Ghanaian charity and primary school in Kokrobite, Ghana. We offer a free and safe space for 250 children to learn, play, develop, and socialise. We are the first of our kind in Kokrobite.

We offer the following classes: Nursery, Kindergarten grades 1 and 2 and Primary grades 1 to 6. We also have a composite junior high class. Our school has grown each year alongside our founding cohort of 2018.

history

our history

St Nic's is the creation of the dreams of its two founders: Inusah Amidu (Kokrobite, Ghana) and Anais Menounos (Sydney, Australia).

Both harboured a wish to open a school offering a learning opportunity for the most disadvantaged. Both knew children were hungry not only for food but for knowledge.

While volunteering to promote gender equality in an NGO in Kokrobite, Ghana, in 2018, …

a child ran up to Anais begging her not for money or food, but for a simple book to read.

It was the boldness of this boy asking for a book that instilled a boldness to return to Ghana and offer a book to not only one child, but as many children as possible.

Inusah, living in the town of Kokrobite himself, had experienced firsthand the disadvantages faced by most families who struggle access basic necessities including education.

An opportunity arose to partner together and after many hours of planning, a location for the school was confirmed. St Nicholas Mission Academy was born.

They never looked back.

context

1 in 4 school-aged children are employed in Ghana's workforce (UNESCO 2018)

Eliminating child labour is one of our biggest motivators in increasing school enrolment.

80% of working children are involved in the agricultural sector, including fishing and cocoa harvesting. As we are situated in the fishing village Kokrobite, we take child labour very seriously.

We have the responsibility to ensure our children do not participate in fishing activities such as diving, preparing baits, paddling, smoking and selling fish instead of attending school.

St Nic's is also located only an hour away from Agbogbloshie, the largest e-waste dump site in the world and one of the most polluted places on the planet (pictured above). Children and young adults spend hours inhaling toxic fumes while burning plastic wires to recover previous copper to be sold.

We advocate for prevention over cure.

St Nic's ensures parents in the Kokrobite region do not consider child labour as an alternative to education, by offering education as early as possible. Rather, our pupils' primary education is solidified and provides a foundation to continue learning and building their future.

our mission

our mission

We strive to create a safe environment where children can receive free education, nutritious meals, fresh drinking water and basic healthcare.

Research* shows that disadvantaged communities benefit the most when education begins during the earliest stages of a child's development.

Knowing that their child is supervised in a structured environment and is receiving quality education can take a lot of pressure off working parents. It allows them to fulfil their responsibilities and continue earning a living.

In addition, whilst tuition in primary schools in Ghana is free, the reality looks very different.

Expenses incurred for school uniforms, feeding fees and learning materials continue to severely limit equal access to education.

Other factors such as shortage of classrooms, absence of sanitation facilities, overcrowding in urban areas, sexual harassment of girls in schools, physical violence and verbal abuse, put additional pressures on the struggling public schools.

In our community of Kokrobite, most schools charge a small feeding fee of 3 GHC daily (0.80c AUD), excluding a large proportion of children whose families are unable to finance this.

St Nic's strives to provide a learning haven for these children who are locked out of basic education at no fault of their own.

* W. Steven Barnet, PHD, National Institute for Early Education Research

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