Ghana’s sanitation problem has been a serious topic that has been discussed all over the world in many years but it seems there has been no improvement at all. The indiscrimination way of waste disposal in Ghanaian society is really affecting the development of the country. This has become normal thing for most Ghanaians; they throw trash anywhere without a second thought at all. This has resulted in deadly sicknesses like malaria, cholera, diarrhea and many more sanitation r

Exponential Education is working on empowering both boys and girls to become social change agents in their communities in Ghana. Expo works with Form 2 students in Senior High School in the Kumasi area. The two programs that work to create social change agents are the Girls’ Leadership, Empowerment, Action Program or LEAP, and the Boys for Positive Change Program. These programs meet once or twice a week at their respective schools. While Ghana has made many improvements in h

"If pregnancy were a book they would cut the last two chapters." Nora Ephron The rate of teenage pregnancy in Ghana is high. Every year the number of teenagers getting pregnant is growing, especially in certain regions. In my opinion, one of the causes of teenage pregnancy is lack of parental care and control. Some parents cannot provide their children’s needs: physical such as food, clothing or even shelter as well as emotional. Therefore, children find their own ways and me

The mission of Boys for Positive Change (BPC) it to sensitize boys to recognize social norms underlying gender inequality and empower them to become agents of positive change by challenging these norms. While working with the girls in our Girls LEAP program, we kept hearing from them – at no surprise - that one of the biggest obstacles impairing them from feeling empowered is society’s damaging perceptions of gender roles, which affects the mentality of young boys and girls w

Today we were able to sit down with our Operations Intern Emmanuel Anane-Poku Karikari. He was able to give us a bit of insight on how Exponential Education has affected his life and professional development. 1. Can you tell us a bit about yourself? My name is Emmanuel, I am from Ejisu, Ashanti Region. I am the third born of my parents of five in total. I completed JHS at Ejisu Model School and then I completed SHS in 2015 at Adu Gyamfi Senior High School in Agona-Jamasi. I p

Exactly one year ago, in September 2015, 193 global leaders signed and agreed on 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Global Goals look at targeting governments specifically to create institutional and systemic change. They cover a range of disciplines including environment, socio-economic, gender dynamics, etc. This week September 18-24, 2016 is Global Goals Week. To celebrate the one-year anniversary of these SDGs the global community is trying to make as much noise

Imagine that you could be fired if you were using your native tongue at work. This is a reality that teachers in Ghana face every day. During one of my first program sessions, a teacher had an engaging conversation with me about teaching English. He made it quite clear what his primary frustration with his job is: he has to use English to teach. At first glance, it might make sense that in a nation in which English is both the “primary” language and a main subject taught in s

I am always telling my tutors that we should strive to make our tutoring sessions different from “normal school.” I tell them that their students should want to stay after school to be part of the program, and not only for the biscuits! Exponential Education has a strong focus on activity-based learning. However, unlike schools in the U.S., classrooms here are not equipped with shelves full of supplies waiting to be used in activities. When first creating lessons I drew inspi

Having an Entrepreneurship programme has been an idea among Expo staff for a long time, but finally it is this year that the actual programme was launched. After choosing two partner schools in the Ejisu area and informing and selecting students, the pilot phase of the programme started in February 2016. Pilot programmes are so interestingly unique: it’s the phase where new things get tried out and adapted to become better versions, and there’s a feeling that everything is po

I am the only current expo-worker to have lived and worked in more than one region of Ghana. Last term I was based in the Volta Region, which is well known for its beautifully scenic landscape and smaller, more sparsely populated farming communities. The whole of the region resides on the eastern shore of Lake Volta, which means you're never very far from the lake for a swim or a make-shift BBQ on the beach. But the open landscape and quieter way of living is not the only thi