Final-year Public Relations students from the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) have donated assorted items to the La Nkwantanang 7 & 8 Basic Schools at Madina in Accra.
The items include books, pens, pencils, school uniforms, bottled water, food items, sanitary pads and shoes, among others.
The gesture forms part of the students’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project for the 2024/2025 academic year.
It was themed “Building Sustainable Futures Through Education: Every Pencil Counts, Every Child Matters.”
Presenting the items, Dr. Adwoa Sikayena Amankwah, Head of the Department of Communication Studies and Lead Lecturer for the CRS course, emphasised that the initiative was driven by the need to translate theoretical knowledge into practical application.
She added that the initiative aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education, aligning with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) four.
Headmistress of the La Nkantanang 7 Primary and JHS, Madam Comfort Ewoenam Bissi, expressed her gratitude to the students and UPSA for the generous gesture.
She noted that the UPSA has consistently supported the school with teaching and learning materials and even assisted with rebuilding the school’s broken walls years back.
“Majority of our pupils here are house helps, while a few of them are living with their parents,” Mrs Bissi said. “So we the teachers sometimes come together to raise funds to buy books, school uniforms, and shoes for some of them.”
“Now that we have received a lot of these items, a huge burden has been lifted off our shoulders. We are therefore grateful to you.”
On his part, the headmaster of La Nkwantanang School Eight, Mr. Wisdom Koranteng, assured that the donated items would be used judiciously and distributed equitably among the pupils.
He appealed for additional support for the two schools, particularly to repair the damaged roofs of the kindergarten block and the administration block.
Deputy District Director and Head of Administration at the La Nkwantanang-Madina District Education Office, Mr. Joseph Baidoo, expressed gratitude to the UPSA students for their charitable act.
He described the donated items, particularly the sanitary pads, as a transformative gesture that will help keep girls in school during their menstrual periods.
“Many of our students miss school during their menstrual periods because they cannot afford sanitary pads,” Mr Baidoo said.
The final-year UPSA students also took the opportunity to educate the pupils on menstrual and personal hygiene while raising awareness about the harmful effects of substance abuse.