The Right to Dream

“The donation has made a huge difference to our activities in Ghana and the impact can be summarised in the areas of; Extending Opportunities for Underprivileged Children and Developing our Activities Further.

Extending Opportunities for Underprivileged Children

Over the course of the last year and as a result of the donation made by Oil Aid, the Right to Dream Academy has now recruited a fourth generation of pupils who joined in September 2007 on five year scholarships. These children are now benefiting from the unique opportunities provided through the Academy.

Over the last year we have had three pupils graduate and take up full scholarships at leading private boarding schools in the US and another two pupils to University in the UK, these opportunities are allowing our graduates to continue with their academic careers at the same time as being able to play the sport that they love, football. This year we have secured a number of graduate opportunities for our pupils; this will include four pupils going on to further study in the US at private boarding school and three boys studying at University in the UK.

Within Ghana, as a result of the donation made by Oil Aid, we have been able to expand our graduate opportunities. We now have graduating pupil undertaking vocational training onsite at the Academy as Coaches, Referees, Physiotherapist Assistants and Teaching Assistants; outside of the Academy we have additional opportunities for our graduates in the sports industry. Our graduates who remain in Ghana are able to continue playing football at the same time as being employed in the sports industry, using the education they have learnt at the Academy to build a better life for themselves and their families.

Developing our Activities Further

This year Right to Dream has been able to carry out a review of our education system at the Academy by two specialist Consultants from the US and UK. This was important, as we are continuously working to improve the education we offer our pupils, ensuring the system meets the individual needs of our pupils who are drawn from all over Ghana and come from variable backgrounds, for many the Academy is their first prolonged experience of school. This year our teaching staff has been joined by one full-time remedial support teacher, and a specialist English and Mathematics teacher. All of whom are helping to create a curriculum which meets the children’s needs and the range in academic abilities found at the Academy, and prepares our pupils for the range of opportunities available to them, upon graduation.

As a result of the donation from Oil Aid, we have been able to develop further the partnership between the Academy and the Right to Dream Underprivileged Children’s Centre. This has meant that our Academy pupils and graduates go along to the centre on a weekly basis to help out with the teaching of the children. This programme plays an important role in the lives of children who attend the UCC, who need a friend, a peer, who can support them and help them to achieve their simple dream, of obtaining an education.

At the UCC, over the course of the last year, the centre has grown. On average, we have sixty-two pupils (aged 5/6-15/16) attending the UCC in the morning, these children have had little or more often no experience of school and they are learning the very basics in numeracy and literacy, until they have reached a point where we can send them to a local school.

On average, we have seventy-seven pupils attending the UCC in the afternoon, these children are drawn from the surrounding area and they come to the centre after school finishes so that they can receive the extra support that is crucial to ensuring that they are able to progress through school successfully. We have now sent forty two children to school in the local area, and they are now progressing through school well (they are in classes from Primary 9 to Primary 13).

The donation from Oil Aid 2007 has also helped us to move towards our aim of building a multi-sports academy which will benefit even more children. This new, non-profit Sports Academy will offer scholarships to girls and boys and will include football, tennis, golf, athletics, basketball and boxing. By building a multi-sport academy we can ensure that we are able to continue to offer these unique opportunities to even more underprivileged children in the future.

Right to Dream would like to thank everyone involved in the Oil Aid event. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further information at this stage”.