Story: Atta Kwaku BOADI
Nduom Community Library has held its 4th graduation for kids in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in Elmina in the Central region.
The event which was supported by World ORT and Coconut Grove Beach Resort in Elmina has since its commencement in May 2021 trained four (4) groups of children.
They include Graduation Class of September 2021 (43 children), Graduation Class of December 2021 (88 children), Graduation Class of September 2022 (88 children) and Graduation Class of December 2022 (80 children).
In all 299 children have benefitted from the programme. Out of the number, 17 university student volunteers have been trained as teachers.
The university students were selected from Ola Teachers Training College, the University of Cape Coast and the Nduom School of Business and Technology.
Speaking at the ceremony, the General Manager of Coconut Grove Beach Resort, Mr Victor Mintah expressed his outfit’s gratitude to Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom and Mrs.Yvonne Nduom, President and Senior Vice President of Groupe Nduom for their roles in making sure that the programme comes to stay.
Mr Mintah also thanked the Director for World ORT, Miss. Celeste Gonzales, and other stakeholders in Israel and the United States of America (USA).
According to him, a little over a year ago, his outfit engaged 8 volunteers and 48 young girls, and started what they saw as a great opportunity for young children to solve societal problems through the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
He noted that, many communities in Ghana today face SO many challenges. This, he said, could be resolved through the application of science, technology and engineering.
He further noted that the focus of the programme is to use the skills acquired to find solutions for “our communities problems and for that matter, the world at large and so our volunteers and children have started building 2 projects, a light house for the landing beach and harbour in Elmina and a traffic light system”.
He added: “We want to create greater awareness and interest in the programme which will make our children more interested as well as to secure other sponsorship and support”.
With the introduction of their bionic crawling equipment, Mr Mintah said, “we intend to collaborate with other robotics teams and clubs as well as competing at national and international robotics competitions to increase our exposure and our experience through networking and building of relations.
What is World ORT?
World ORT is an international charity organization registered in Switzerland with headquarters in London, United Kingdom. World ORT is the largest Jewish education and vocational training nongovernmental organization in the world. Started in 1880, today ORT is operational in 30 countries and helps more than 300,000 students annually around the world. The mission of World ORT is to work for the advancement of people through training and education; to provide communities wherever they are, with the skills and knowledge necessary to cope with the complexities and uncertainties of their environment; to foster economic self-sufficiency, mobility, and a sense of identity.
ORT has more than 140 years of experience training millions of students and beneficiaries worldwide. The International Cooperation department (IC) was created within the World ORT global network in 1960 to support economic and social development throughout the world, through vocational training and the provision of technical assistance. IC has provided assistance to transitioning and developing nations and has implemented more than 350 programs in 100 countries at the request of unilateral and multilateral donors, foundations, international agencies, local communities, host governments, and private firms.
ORT training programs are designed to meet local needs and are particularly successful in overcoming economic, cultural, and linguistic barriers working in close collaboration with local, national and regional partners. Providing for sustainable economic, social, and cultural growth is the motivational force behind every ORT undertaking. ORT’s international operations are concentrated in sectors where ORT has earned a reputation for excellence: vocational and technical education; workforce development, institution strengthening/human resources development; NGO institutional strengthening and capacity building; democracy and governance; agriculture; rural and urban development; health care; transportation; training programs for NGO resource centers, government ministries, public utilities, and industrial and commercial enterprises. ORT’s basic philosophy of helping others to help themselves is translated into its training objectives, designed to provide individuals with self-reliance through proficiency and income-generating skills.
A key objective of ORT technical assistance programs is to establish a self-sustaining, locally based training capacity. To achieve this goal, ORT: defines project objectives with local participants and beneficiaries or host governments and other appropriate institutions, e.g., donors; provides a team of specialists who develop, in conjunction with local counterparts, customized technical assistance and training programs; designs and implements a comprehensive strategy; and provides a rapid mobilization and subsequent work plans with detailed benchmarks, and conducts careful monitoring, measuring and evaluation of programme goals and objectives to ensure a high level of performance and proper allocation of project resources.