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Orange County, CA—Ghana is an hourglass-shaped country located in West Africa on the Gulf of Guinea. This coastal land is known internationally for its deep history and rich biodiversity. However, more than ⅕ of Ghanaians live below the poverty line. Unfortunately, the country’s financial burdens have led to an unstable and unreliable public school system.
Emphasizing the Potential
The International Labor Organization (‘ILO’) is a United Nations agency geared towards “promoting jobs” and “protecting people.” In their article Working Out of Poverty in Ghana, the ILO explains that Ghanaians face persistent poverty.
It is then emphasized that “gainful employment” is what Ghana’s poor need to “move out of poverty.” The organization then highlights the need to strengthen the “bridge” from “often rudimentary school education to gainful employment” to aid poverty reduction in Ghana.
Limited Resources
However, limited resources have left the Ghanaian public school system “overstressed.”
In an article for GhanaWeb, a news outlet supporting Ghanaian journalism and content creation, educationist Dr. Ahmed Jinapor highlights the insecurity of the country’s public school system. He explains that a “lack of funding” has left the public school system “ineffective.” Dr. Jinapor believes that until the Ghanaian economy is “robust” enough to adequately support the needs of schools and educators, the country’s public school system will continue to face “challenges.”
Alternative Early Education Resources
The challenges facing Ghana’s public sector have increased the need for alternative early education resources.
Because of the instability of Ghana’s public school system, the work being done by organizations providing alternative early education resources for Ghana’s youth is invaluable. One of these vital organizations is known as ‘Joy2TheWorld’.
Joy2TheWorld International Christian Academy is a Medie, Ghana school “with a mission to break the cycle of poverty.” Since Joy2TheWorld opened its doors in 2013, the school’s philosophy has been that the first step towards poverty reduction in Ghana is ensuring the youth of Ghana receive the ample education they deserve.
EmpowerED is a documentary about the school’s work to “illuminate paths out of poverty through education.” The BORGEN Project had the opportunity to learn more about Joy2TheWorld and their incredible work in an interview with Zayd Milkias, the documentary’s director and producer.
Driven to Learn
“They are driven to learn; they are driven by curiosity.”
Milkias spoke about how what stuck with him most from his time in Medie was “how much detailed care was taken towards these students’ education.” The filmmaker described how, when observing the school’s students, he saw “it was instilled in them that school went beyond the concept of being able to pass a test, and was more about learning to be curious.”
Outside of their exceptional care for their students, what makes Joy2TheWorld unique is that they are privately funded. Milkias explained in his interview that the school is an ‘NGO,’ or ‘non-government organization,’ operating mainly on U.S donations.
The filmmaker clarified that the education provided to students at Joy2TheWorld is “superior” when held “in comparison to what is publicly available.” Faculty at Joy2TheWorld explained to him that the West African country’s public schools “cram classrooms” and regularly struggle with a “lack of academic supplies.”
“Eye-opening.”
When asked to summarize his experience in learning more about Joy2TheWorld and the work that they are doing for the youth of Ghana, Milkias let the phrase hang in the air, leaving a lasting impression. Now, he wants to open the eyes of others.
When asked if there was one thing he wanted EmpowerED to tell the world about global poverty, the filmmaker had one message: “Education will take you a long way.”
The EmpowerED website emphasizes that Joy2TheWorld’s central goal is “illuminating paths out of poverty through education.” Milkias wants the world to know that education can be the difference between a life struggling to sell goods “on the side of the road” and the opportunity to “become more.”
Making a Change
Milkias explained that, in making this documentary, his primary purpose was exploring an organization doing important work for poverty reduction in Ghana through the education of the youth; more than anything, he wants to help Joy2TheWorld gain exposure.
When asked what he hoped EmpowerED would mean for his audience, Milkias explained he wants “people to walk away from the documentary feeling that they can help.” He concluded with the message that “there is this incredible organization out there somewhere in the world, whether it be Joy2TheWorld or another one, and you can actively help.”
—Rosemary Wright
