Six Dartmouth students are spending their summers in Ghana mentoring youth and leading programs in literacy, art and science as part of the World Partners in Education volunteer program.
Founded by three Dartmouth alumni in 2008, the nonprofit runs two programs in Ghana one connecting student volunteers to partner schools in the region as tutors and mentors, and a newer program focused on teacher training.
In July, the organization launched the International Community Center in Tema, Ghana to provide a hub for enrichment programs for students from multiple partner schools. The new program will increase the hours of instruction for a greater number of students, Ben Schwartz '06 said. Schwartz, one of the organization's founders along with Nana Ampadu '09 and Caitlin Crowe '08, is currently based in Ghana and volunteers as its on-the-ground advisor.
The new center also serves as a base for future volunteers, who will run its after-school and community programming and visit partner schools for tutoring, mentoring and other activities.
"Our goal is to help every parent and teacher see that learning can be exciting, fun and personal and hopefully try some of the approaches themselves," Schwartz said.
Led by an executive board of eight Dartmouth alumni, the organization recently hired its first full-time staff member, Nelson Owusu Ansah, and hopes to continue developing a strong Ghanaian staff, Schwartz said.
Crowe said the nonprofit's strongest moment was when it refocused the volunteer program on teacher training, which ultimately impacts a greater number of students.
Prior to the change, ineffective teaching methods and teacher absenteeism were two of the greatest obstacles to improving education in their partner schools, Crowe said.
In the past year, the organization rolled out a pilot program for training teachers in literacy and strategies that take a student-centered approach to learning, Schwartz said.
Personal relationships developed by the pilot program and sustained over several months are crucial to teacher progression. Once the program is established, the board hopes to expand its training program to other grade levels and to content beyond literacy training, he said.
Cultural differences can pose a challenge to grassroots and empowerment efforts, Schwartz said.
"Coming from a place like Dartmouth where everyone is highly motivated and creativity and personal drive are rewarded, I find living in Ghana especially tough where it always feels like every decision must come from the big men in the community," he said.
While volunteer opportunities are open to everyone, the positions are consistently filled by current Dartmouth students during their off-terms. Volunteers serve as tutors and mentors to students in Ghana, and sometimes as teaching partners in the classroom.
Michael Zhu '14, who volunteered as an English, science and math tutor to 15 students last fall, said he still maintains connections with teachers and the former headmaster of the school where he was based. He said the experience was the best use of his time at Dartmouth thus far.
"At the end, I saw students reading better and students understanding math concepts better, rather than the end goal being a final grade," he said.
WPE also has a student group on campus, which promotes awareness of educational inequality issues in Ghana and other countries.
Students can also serve as interns with the nonprofit. Emily Tregidgo '16 is spending her summer as a part-time intern working on research and marketing for the organization. Her interest in African history and international development made an internship with the WPE a natural choice for her freshman summer, she said.
"Everyone does their job effectively and shares ideas," she said. "They're all passionate about the mission of the program."
Crowe is working to create a network of teachers and education professionals in the Boston region to share effective teaching methods during the organization's monthly meetings. She hopes to connect teachers in the U.S. and Ghana to share stories and experiences.
