The Ashesi Student Council (ASC), earlier this year, started the Change Maker campaign to motivate and help the children of Berekuso’s schools by funding scholarships for the town’s best students to enter senior high school. Through the campaign, the ASC has successfully raised funds from the Ashesi community to send Berekuso’s best student in this year’s senior high school entrance exams to his school of choice – St. Martins.

Edward Addey, 16 years old, is the first to benefit from the Change Maker campaign, and is also the first child in his family to attend senior high school. His older brother, who completed his entrance exams last year, was unable to attend senior high school because the family could not afford it.

“My family and I are grateful to everyone for coming together to help me,” Edward said. “My friends at Ashesi have been generous, and I intend to pay them back by working extra hard.”

The campaign, a collaborative effort between Ashesi’s student government and student community, is part of a major drive on campus to improve education standards in Berekuso’s schools. Since Ashesi moved to Berekuso in August 2011, students have volunteered to help teach a range of subjects in Berekuso’s schools. They also mentor pupils, started adult literacy programmes, and have engaged parents, guardians and families to encourage their children to pay more attention to education.

“The Change Maker campaign is our way of spreading the impact of what Ashesi is doing in Ghana,” said Francis Okunade ’13, who heads the ASC Outreach Committee that led the fundraising campaign. “Ashesi is changing the lives of its students and graduates, and it is our turn to go out and make that meaningful in the lives of others. It is our hope that we can continue to expand this campaign, and send more students in Berekuso to school.”

As Edward prepared to leave home for school, amidst cheers from his neighbours, his family kept repeating, “Thank you Ashesi. Eddy is going to school.”