Educate Ghana

Mission

PROFESA's mission is to empower young women to raise themselves out of poverty by providing low-cost computer and job training. The Academy aims to supply these women with the skills and certification essential to attaining secure employment and to give them the tools necessary to become Ghana's next generation of computer technicians, web-designers, and data entry professionals.

Education for Empowerment

Secondary education in Ghana is not free and many young women are forced to drop out because they cannot afford to attend. PROFESA is unique in that it offers its program for only a very nominal fee – around $170 per year per student – and PROFESA fundraising allows up to 40% to attend the program on full scholarships.

The Academy is the only vocational training opportunity within reach for Abeka’s poorest girls and women. Since its formation in 2000 PROFESA has grown annually, and as of 2009 has graduated 117 women. The Academy employs a proven, practical, and hands-on curriculum that has been favorably compared to some of the most “exclusive” training programs in the region.

PROFESA's founder and executive director, Meshach Bondzie, has worked tirelessly to provide educational opportunities for his underpirivileged students, cultivating a program unlike any other in the region. By targeting the poorest of students in the communities surrounding the capital of Accra and encouraging them to return to school, PROFESA has had a tremendous impact on the lives of many who would otherwise be stuck selling goods in the street. To quote one PROFESA graduate, “Education is very important. It is the key for everything. I don’t want to be in the market selling. You see people selling here and there. I don’t want to do that. I want to go to school, go further.”

Promoting Healthy Living

The PROFESA Academy also supports healthy living with its students and the local community. The school partners with local health care professionals each year to do presentations at five Junior Secondary Schools in the Abeka area. These presentations cover HIV prevention, Malaria, Dysentery, and other sanitation issues that are common in Ghana's urban communities. Once Ghanaian students leave the public schooling system there is no organized outlet for disseminating health related content. By enrolling in the PROFESA Academy these students not only receive a practical education, but they also receive important health information.

Building Ghana's Future

With increased access to the internet and low- cost computers, Ghanaians – individuals and businesses alike – will be in need of computer technicians, network technicians, website developers, and data entry professionals. The PROFESA Academy will be ready to meet that need with trained young women who will keep Ghana’s computer boom moving forward.