Ghana SPCA's Humane Education Program is now being taught in Ghana's Upper East Region (see green square on map), a region under-served in so many ways. Ghana SPCA provides much-appreciated educational material and teacher training to ensure that teachers use the best methods and have up-to-date information to keep students engaged-with the aim that many of them will become animal welfare advocates and some will choose careers in which they will help animals (and at the least, that they will be kind to animals and spread what they learn to others). Also, this is a target area of the donkey hide and meat trade and a strong animal care network will be needed to continue to combat this cruelty. The Ghana SPCA Humane Ed Program is raising the next generation of animal advocates!
GSPCA's Humane Education Specialist, Aluizah, visited Upper East Region in February to train teachers and to kick-off Humane Ed classes. He sent the following report.
Ayeltige Junior High School at Bolga East, Zuarungu in the Upper East Region is now holding Humane Education sessions. The HE teachers are Mohammed and Henrietta (pictured below with Aluizah in the middle).
Each pupil received a Humane Education booklet (donations from AKI covered the cost of photocopying and binding the booklets). We had enough booklets to give one to each pupil, which they will be able to keep even after the Humane Ed sessions are completed.
Humane Education lessons are now also being given at Doba Junior High School in Kassena-Nanka East Municipality in Navrongo of the Upper East Region. Here is the Humane Ed class meeting under a mango tree. It was harmattan, when it is so hot and dry, the pupils preferred to be outdoors for the lesson. We met under a shady mango tree and we stayed cool. As you can see, all the students received a Humane Education Booklet thanks to the support of AKI.
We are still supporting Humane Ed lessons at the schools in Accra where we have been providing mentorship to teachers and educational materials for many years. These are photos of Kwabenya-Atomic MA 5. This is Samuel Kweku Aggrey's class. He is one of our most creative HE teachers, adept at guiding pupils to appreciate Humane Ed, animals, and learning. Again, thanks to AKI donors, we were able to provide a Humane Ed booklet to each pupil in the class.
Here is a new poster that we can use in Humane Education lessons to help pupils understand that it is important to take good care of their pet dogs and when to take their dogs to a vet. (poster created by Aluizah).
On a personal note, I was at home today (March 6, 2019) and Abdul Rashid (aka Lakey), a popular barber in neighbourhood in Awoshie, Accra, walked in beaming with smiles and said, I brought you a puppy...one of my clients gave it to me. Big bro (as he described me) he said, I know you keep it.
We named him Guy Guy. Sule and me examine the puppy...it had fleas all over it. With the help of Sule, I gave it a good bath (as in photos). After this Guy Guy took a deep sleep. It is an independence (6th March is Ghana's independence day) gift and now it has a home and now feeling gay. (Good Luck and enjoy your new puppy!)
