CalBank, in partnership with Xornam Foundation-a philanthropic organization, has built a modern 3-unit classroom block for the Hodze Ve Basic School in the Ho Municipality.
This new facility, which replaces the old and dilapidated structure, comes equipped with an ICT laboratory to enable students join their peers elsewhere who have the benefit of experiencing the digital revolution through education.
Managing Director of CalBank, Philip Owiredu said the construction of the school fell in line with the company’s objectives of social investments in communities. He commended Xornam Foundation for its commitment to improving the education of children in the community.
Mr. Owiredu revealed that sometime in March this year, his outfit received an appeal for support from the Foundation to support the school put up this edifice to improve academic work.
“I engaged my management team, and a decision was made to support the school with the total amount requested for. The CalBank team worked closely with the Xornam Foundation and the community, and I am delighted with the output.
“Our SDG 7 focuses on supporting affordable and reliable energy and promoting innovation through building resilient infrastructure and promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization. These strategies detail the Bank’s community investment activities. Thus, we saw a clear alignment of the request from Xornam to the Bank’s social investment objective of supporting education especially in the less deprived communities,” Mr Owiredu noted.
He explained that it was critical to support Ghanaian children to equip themselves with the required ICT skills to enable them be competitive with their global peers, hence the decision to include an ICT laboratory with the edifice.
“Today’s key educational focus is Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths popular known as STEM. It is our belief that this support will improve the fortune of students from this community. CalBank will continue to deliver on our CSI objectives by supporting education in our communities,” he added
Mr. Owiredu also announced plans by the bank to set up a branch in Ho. “It is our expectation that by the end of the first quarter of 2022, the CalBank Ho Branch will have been completed. Once we launch our presence, the people of Ho will have access to all CalBank’s superior banking solutions.”
The decision to build the school was the brainchild of founder of Xornam Foundation, Praise Anani, who said she had noticed the needs of the institution after donating some learning materials earlier.
At the handing over ceremony of the building, Miss Anani said she begun the process of provide the school a new classroom block in 2018 after discussing the matter with school authorities.
“We encountered very young children studying under a nearly collapsed bamboo structure and the headmaster asked if my organisation, Xornam Foundation could help and the first thing I said was ‘can we’ but today, after several attempts to get sponsorship for the project, CalBank came to our aid and helped us with an amount of GH¢104,200.50 for the project,” she recounted.
She was optimistic the construction of the modern classroom would boost the confidence of parents in the municipality to send their children to school and positively shape the perception of education there.
“We have taken a major step forward in providing this beautiful and high-quality education facility at Hodzo Ve which was funded by CalBank PLC. We are positive this new Junior High School block will not only shape Hodzo Ve JHS learning environment but would also form a new phase of education by changing the perception of the community towards education,” Miss Anani added.
Students and school authorities who are in awe of the transformation of their classrooms expressed gratitude for the gesture.
Headmaster of Hodzo Ve Basic School, Fred Avakame said the school, since its establishment in 1981, has seen little renovation until the support from Xornam Foundation and CalBank.
The school, he said, had to make use of an old pavilion constructed by former President, Jerry John Rawlings of blessed memory. He, therefore, thanked Xornam foundation and CalBank for supporting a good cause and urged other organisations to emulate their kind gesture.
