Easing the Economic Burden for
Low-Income Families.
While Ghana’s Free Senior High School program covers tuition, infrastructure, and learning materials, families still bear significant costs to keep their children in school. Each family is required to cover the essentials listed on the yearly prospectus. The boarding prospectus includes a personal luggage trunk for personal storage, a personal hygiene kit (gender specific that includes toiletries), personal dining accessories, personal sleeping accessories, communal cleaning supplies, mathematical sets that include a scientific calculator, personal attire (change of school clothes and rest clothes), to name just a few items. These expenses can total up to $400 per student each year. For many low-income families, this is an overwhelming burden.
To put this into perspective, Ghana's average annual household income is approximately GH₵50,000 ($5,500 CAD), but many families earn far less. In rural areas with higher poverty rates, some households survive on as little as GH₵1,200–3,600 per year ($130–$390 CAD). This means that sending just one child to secondary school can consume a quarter to a third of a family’s yearly income, making it nearly impossible for some to afford.
As a result, many children are forced to drop out, not because they lack ambition or ability but simply because their families cannot cover these start-up costs. With your support, we can help bridge this gap, ensuring that financial hardship is never the reason a child is denied an education.
Information source citations:
A Comprehensive Analysis of the Free Senior High School (SHS) Policy in Ghana Using Policy Triangle Framework
By: Akwasi Asante Opoku, University of Windsor
Financial Burden Analysis of Free SHS Policy and Implications of Equitable Access. Report commissioned by Africa Education Watch with support from OXFAM
Your Donation
in Action.
Your bursary provides more than financial aid—it offers hope, stability, and the chance for a brighter future. By covering essential school costs, you ensure that students who would otherwise be unable to attend school have everything they need to succeed, including:
Personal hygiene kits
Personal sleeping accessories
Personal dining accessories
Personal mathematical & education accessories
Faah Comfort
I lost my father two years ago. The financial burden is on my mother alone. It is too expensive to send my sister and me both to school.
Baafowaa Jennifer
I am an orphan currently being taken in by the Techiman Orphanage. Without the help of organizations like Okyerema, I would not be able to afford my schooling.
Twi K Foster
I lost my father a few years ago. My mother is now a widow. The financial burden of my schooling is unbearable for her.
Our goal is to raise $200,000
to support 500 students every year.
We are committed to supporting 500 students annually, ensuring that financial hardship never stands in the way of their education. By removing cost barriers for underprivileged families, we give students the opportunity to thrive and become leaders in their communities.
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