The Esaase Christian School and Orphanage is a private school and orphanage founded in 1996 by Mr Kwabena Boateng. The school is situated in the small village of Esaase, approximately 15 kilometres from Kumasi, Ghana’s second largest city, in the province of Ashanti.
Over 500 pupils between the ages of three and fifteen attend the school. The school comprises nursery and pre-school classes, six primary school classes and three lower secondary school classes. The school complex also includes a dormitory area which houses the school’s 150 orphans as well as other pupils from the region who live too far away to travel to and from school every day.
Children from poor families and orphans attending the ECSO are not obliged to pay school fees. Furthermore, families experiencing temporary financial difficulties can obtain a reduction in school fees for the current school term.
The pupils follow the state’s education programme for the duration of their schooling in preparation for the final leaving exams. With the exception of lessons teaching the local Twi language, all classes are taught in English, the official language of Ghana.
The subjects taught at the school are: Mathematics, English, French, Information Technology, Religion, Environmental Studies, Science and Sport.
The school is officially recognised by and registered with the Ghanaian Education Service with the number ADA/PR/P/97/3.
ECSO currently receives no subsidies, neither from the national government nor from organisations other than our own. The school survives thanks to the incredible dedication and hard work of Mr Boateng and his family. The school fees paid by some of the pupils’ families provide only a very minimal income and do not cover the costs of running the school. This money is primarily used to pay the teachers’ salaries and for expenses such as electricity costs etc.
Mr Boateng cultivates two fields (cocoa and maize) as well as an orangery to enable him to feed the children, in particular the orphans, living in the dormitory. Before and after school the older children help him to harvest, beat and dry the maize (according to the season) and to tend to the orangery and cocoa plantation. However, despite this backbreaking labour, the school has to fight to survive financially and there have been occasions when children have had to be sent back home.
Since August 2005 the school has welcomed a number of volunteer workers from Europe, America and Australia. These volunteers work both independently as well as in cooperation with the local teachers (see the section ‘Volunteer Work’). On the day of arrival of the first of these volunteers the idea was born to support the school by founding Akwaaba Esaase and establishing a range of goals (see the section ‘Goals’)
Pictures of school activities:
