Growth and Change
At the Training Center in Akim Kwameng, we’ve recently entered a season of growth following a leadership transition. After Clara stepped away to pursue her education, Helina stepped into her role, taking on both responsibility and opportunity. In a short amount of time, we’ve seen something remarkable: the number of students attending the Training Center has nearly doubled. Families are sending their children, and students are showing up with curiosity and a desire to learn. There is a new energy in the room, a sense that something meaningful is taking place.
But growth like this has a way of revealing what is needed next. What once felt fimanageable now requires more intention. We are finding that we don’t have enough computers for the number of students who are coming. Students share devices, take turns, and rotate through activities. While this allows us to continue moving forward, it also reminds us that simply expanding access is not enough. As the numbers grow, so does the need for direction.
Our Training Center
At the same time, this season has brought greater clarity to one of the most important challenges our students are facing: literacy. As we’ve spent time observing and working with them, it has become increasingly clear that many students struggle with basic reading skills. This affects everything else they attempt to learn. Without a strong foundation in reading, even the best resources and opportunifities become difficult to access. It has helped us realize that before we build further outward, we need to build deeper.
This realization is shaping the next phase of the Training Center. Rather than focusing only on expanding technology, we are beginning to invest more intentionally in helping students learn to read. That shift requires patience and care, but it also opens the door to something much more lasting. Helina is stepping into this role with a willingness to grow, and in the coming weeks we will be working with her on the fundamentals of teaching literacy, especially through the use of storybooks. For many of fithese students, this will be their first real experience with books—holding them, hearing them read aloud, and beginning to see reading not as a task, but as something engaging and meaningful.
Children on the computer while others wait their turn.
This season is a reminder that growth is not just about increasing numbers. It is about understanding what that growth requires and responding in a way that builds a stronger foundation. There is still much to learn, and much to develop, but there is also a clear sense that we are stepping into something important—something that has the potential to shape not only what students learn, but what they believe is possible for their future.
