Computer Training School Akosombo

GKGCM – Computer Training School Akosombo

Korbinian Grimme and Magdalena Nuß decided in 2015 to go to Ghana for half a year and help in a development aid project of the evangelic church in Germany (Landeskirche der Pfalz). The institution they worked in is the computerschool „Ghana Korea Germany Church Mission Computer Training School“, short GKGCM, in Akosombo in the Volta Region. Magdalena Nuß writes in a very nice and informative field report about their time at the school, about the project and how things work on the spot. There is a lot to do to keep the project running and the school needs any kind of help. If you want to donate, support or take part in the project you find the necessary contact information at the end of the article. Daniel Schleßmann from HITA worked there as well in several projects and brought some nice fotos from his last visits. The signed fotografs are from the school-team.

The Ghana Korea Germany Church Mission Computer Training School (GKGCM) in Akosombo in the Volta Region. It is a trilateral project of the Presbyterian Church in Ghana, the Korean Young-Deung-Po-Presbytery Church and the Evangelischen Landeskirche der Pfalz in Germany. Principal of the school is a missionary priest from Korea who lives in Ghana for more than ten years. He opened the school on 24th of July in 2004. In the committee board are as well Marianne Wagner from Neustadt and Heidrun Perron from Speyer, both cities in Germany. The “Evangelic Mission in Solidarity” supports the school by sending frequently volunteers for helping and teaching in the school. There is a variety of terms to describe the computerschool: A non-governmental organization, a church mission institution, an ICT training school, a secretarial school, a prayer and worship center. Choose the one you like most. They are proud of all the various elements of the school. The school is dedicated to give excellent ICT training to needy but brilliant Ghanaians, especially youths. They already won the National Information Agency Award in Korea. The facility is one of the best Private Secretarial School in Eastern Region with 100% marks for the past six years. They provide different kinds of courses from Basic, to Professional, Vocational, Special and Diploma.

At the school there work twelve Ghanaian employees: six teachers, two guards, one caretaker and the administrator. The teaching subjects of the school provide apprenticeships for secretaries, basic lessons for computer usage, Microsoft Office training courses and lessons for grafik design and web design. There are as well other organized projects and workshops inside the country. For example „Mission on the Move“. In this project work teachers directly with institutions in the several rural villages, for example with kindergardens, orphanages and schools. They organise with the facilities lessons and learning groups to theach them basic IT knowledge. The project „Training of Trainers“ is about upgrading teachers skills by advanced training. The participating teachers will work with difficult groups and situations, for example with prison inmates, to teach them basic computer knowhow, so that they can use it after they get disimprisoned. The necessary computers, screens and other essential equipment the project requires is donated by the school to the partcular facility

The computerschool is located in Akosombo in the Volta Region. Nearby there is the river Volta, which gets damed up by the Akosombo Dam to the Volta River Basin. The created Lake Volta is in terms of its water surface area the biggest barrier lake on the world. The Akosombo Dam provides 80 % of the Ghanain demand on electricity and supports the neighbouring regions with fresh water. Because of the nearby dam Akosombo has a quite good and fluent electricity and water provision compared to the Ghanaian standards. But still the available time for running water is only a few hours every day and you have several times during the month longlasting power blackouts. To keep the school running is overall a quite difficult matter, and the organisators are very happy and thankfull about any kind of support or help.