Kpelezo School

Friends of Kpelezo (Pa-lay-zo) is a group of past or present students from Ipswich High School, who have worked hard over the past three years to organize fundraising events, to make presentations to potential donors and to publicize the group's work on behalf of the Kpelezo community. The organization's Board of Trustees and other adult volunteers... have provided guidance, managed funds and traveled with the kids or alone to Ghana to do projects, but the real energy and effort has come from the kids. First, to support education in the region around the Kpelezo Village in the Volta Region of Ghana. Our program is based on a careful evaluation of funding needs related to the educational environment including classroom resources, school construction, student sponsorships, and support for teachers and school lunch programs. Second, to raise awareness among children in targeted U.S. schools of the circumstances and cultures of children in the Ghanian school and to establish communication and facilitate cultural exchanges between the children in the two countries. About the village of Kpelezo and its surroundings. The village of Kpelezo is located in a remote area in the Volta Region of Ghana, close to the boarder with Togo. The nearest city is Hohoe (shown just to the right of the game reserve in the map to the left). Kpelezo is approximately 4 hours by bus or car from the capital city of Accra. The population of the village, including outlying settlements, is approximately 500. The people of Kpelezo are mostly peasant farmers. Among the crops grown are yams, cassava, rice, palm, corn and various other vegetables. Until July 2015, there was no water supply and villagers had to carry water from a nearby river flowing from the Togo Mountains. Due to recent lower than normal water flow, the water became unsafe to drink. Now they have a well with a hand pump centrally located near the school. In early 2013 electricity was brought to the village, though electrical service in the area remains spotty. The Kpelezo ...Read More