EMPOWERING OPEN EDUCATION
AT KINDERGARTEN DROBO GHANA

Name: African Future Kids
Address: Drobo, GH

THE FOUNDATION

Kindergarten Drobo is a passion project conceived by Stephen Takyi, who desires to see the children in his hometown Drobo, Ghana to receive the same opportunities as his own child in Germany. Educational inequality is a global issue, and for many around the world living in rural areas like Drobo, this gap is essential.

African Future Kids is dedicated to closing these gaps. Our goal is to provide free access to quality education that will provide the knowledge and skills for individuals to live independent, self-determined lives equipped with practical life skills. A well-educated community is strong, where each member has access to health, wealth and essential resources. They can sustainably live in harmony with the environment, using natural resources, thus reducing reliance on external powers. We build our Kindergarten on these principles, and we are working with Nea Onnim Research Institute and their team of Early Childhood experts to develop a unique pedagogical approach to realize our vision. Doors opened to serve the children in the summer of 2022 and currently educates over 80 children who would otherwise not have access to education. The project has made significant progress since it began in 2021, thanks to the contributions of members, donors and crowdfunding efforts.

AFRICAN FUTURE KIDS E.V.

African Future Kids is an organisation dedicated to supporting individuals and communities to develop infrastructures that enables them to live self-determined. The collective comprises of individuals with and without African migration backgrounds from Germany, Ghana and worldwide. As well as our demographic and locational diversity, we come from different professional locations, such as education, economics, culture, technology and much more. Our wide range of experiences allows us to draw from different perspectives, skills and expertise to support and empower people through education, access to health, tools resources, skills, self-development and attain equitable economic participation.

KINDERGARTEN DROBO

Kindergarten Drobo is a community-driven project located in the Bono region of Ghana, close to the border of Cote d'Ivoire. The project was founded by Stephen Takyi, a native of Drobo currently living in Germany. Stephen's motivation for the Kindergarten came from the desire to see all the children in his hometown having the same educational opportunities as his child in Germany. Stephen began both investing personally and raising funds for the project. Construction began in 2021 when Stephen spent a year in Drobo working alongside community members to construct the building. Later, he was joined by other members of the AFK team who travelled from Germany to dedicate their time and resources to the construction project. Thanks to their efforts and of those who donated to our crowd-funding campaign, we opened the doors to the Kindergarten in the summer of 2022. Although we have been educating the children for over a year, there is still some outstanding construction work that needs to be completed. We are also cultivating a unique research-based curriculum that nurtures the individuality of each child, fosters creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills as well as serving the local community and honours the natural environment.

OUR APPROACH

To develop a unique curriculum for the children of Drobo, we have partnered with Nea Onnim Research Institute (NORI). NORI is a think tank dedicated to education reform in Africa supported by their team of early childhood experts. We aim to develop culturally significant curricula, enabling children to be fully integrated and active participants in their local community. The NORI approach enables us to provide high-quality evidence-based holistic care and education to each child.

The NORI method is centred on providing individuals the education they need to live truly independent lives. Educational inequality has detrimental effects on entire populations and allows inequality and exploitation to grow. When people are equipped with the right knowledge and skills, they can utilise the resources available to them effectively to create systems that work for the entire community. The NORI method is driven by research and philosophically based on two key education philosophers, Friedrich Froebel and Paulo Freire. The two approaches afford an education that fosters creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving, the skills needed for children to live fulfilling self-determined lives.

The method results in unique culturally significant education system that equips every child with the knowledge and skills to realise their full potential, improve their outcomes and positively impact their community for generations to come.