Ghana Society for the Protection & Care of Animals relies entirely on AKI donors to support their Humane Ed Program. They get no government funds, most grant-giving organizations prefer to support "hands-on" animal rescue and protection, and Ghana has so few residents who are willing and able to donate to help animals. Yet we all believe that Humane Ed is key to improving the way people treat animals. That's why AKI supports GSPCA's HE Program. Here's an update on what the GSPCA has been up to in the last few months.
Each semester, GSPCA oversees Humane Education at 6 to 10 schools, mainly in Accra, Ghana, but they've reached as far as Zebilla in the Upper East Region. AKI donor funds cover the cost of printing the HE manual, small stipends for the teachers, and transport for GSPCA mentors. The teachers at the schools that are newer to the HE Program receive significant mentoring from GSPCA's HE volunteers (Aluizah and David Nyoagbe). Several of the schools and teachers have been teaching the GSPCA HE Program for years, and need less mentoring. David and Aluizah always visit each classroom at least twice during a semester.
When it's time for Humane Ed field trips, the GSPCA organizes the trip and accompanies the students and teachers. AKI donor funds cover the costs of the field trips.
The HE class from Amrahia Basic School participated in all the GSPCA field trips over the last year: to Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary, La Vet Clinic, Village Pets and Garden Center, and Lemla Vet Service (dog grooming and pet hotel)--you can read about the 1st 3 field trips in our April AKI Blog post and see below for the trip to Lemla.
Then, Humane Education teacher at Amrahia Basic School, Veronica Adzraku, gave the HE pupils an end of term test that was based on HE lessons and the field trips (see the blackboard below for the questions).
The Amrahia Basic students in the pictures below are concentrating hard on the test questions. Most of the students tell us that the Humane Ed class is one of their favorite classes, where they learn the most, and they also find it pretty challenging!
The donkey skin trade has become a huge animal welfare issue in Africa. To keep the HE Program interesting and vibrant, Ghana SPCA always makes sure that the HE Program includes the most current challenges and concerns. So at Trust Academy GSPCA's Aluizah included a session on the donkey, its uses, and the present dangers due to the trade in donkey hides, mainly by Chinese citizens in Ghana. Bright (the Humane Ed teacher in the light blue and white striped shirt) led the session and Aluizah was at the Trust Academy HE session to offer additional information on the topic.
North Legon School Complex is one of the long-time GSPCA Humane Ed schools. As you can see below, each student has his or her own Animal Welfare manual. These are photocopied at a cost of US$3 each. For each HE class, the cost of giving each student a manual to keep ranges from US$90-150; thanks to AKI donors, we've been able to continue to cover this cost for the entire GSPCA HE Program.
In July, GSPCA sponsored the last Humane Ed field trip of the term. Forty students from Trust Academy and Amrahia AdMA Basic Schools went to Lemla Vet Services (dog grooming and pet hotel). This field trip was the pupils' first time ever seeing grooming of pets and an animal hotel (boarding kennels). Several said it was the most amazing experience they've ever had! From their faces in the pictures below, you can tell that's true!
To help support the Ghana SPCA Humane Ed Program, please go to the GSPCA link on the AKI website, and designate GSPCA for your donation: https://www.animal-kind.org/aki-ghana
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!