Using merry-go-rounds as a means to generate electricity might seem like an odd “spin” on the traditional idea of a carousel, but we like to think of it as only the most recent development in the carousel’s rich history. hough the idea of a circular, spinning ride has existed since the 6th century, the carousel […]
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Empower Playgrounds has helped opened educational doors to thousands of students, but along the way we’ve learned that educating students takes more than a great facility. In addition to places to learn and study and a supportive community, teaching also takes a few very basic supplies. One of these supplies is the pencil–so small, inexpensive,
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Beyond lacking adequate facilities or supplies for learning, there are other barriers that Ghanaian girls face that stop them from getting the education that they need: lack of access to feminine hygiene materials, and a stigma around menstruation. In 2014, Sustainable Development Focus, an NGO, found that 95% of rural Ghanaian school girls miss school
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What? Our girls’ scholarship program is one we are so excited about, we can hardly contain it! The idea of this program is to give girls the opportunity to receive a high school education when they otherwise wouldn’t have the ability to. We have awarded 3 girls this scholarship that will cover 3 years of
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Empower Playgrounds First Library This summer we installed a pilot library at the school Bahankra. They were thrilled to provide their students with access to fun children’s books as well as reference materials. View fullsize The picture below is of the librarian who had never held a dictionary before. She is very excited to teach
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View fullsize After she gathered litter of black plastic bags and used tissue paper into a small pile, she hid her face shyly and ran off to her classroom with bare feet. She joined a crowd of students curiously staring and giggling at the older student as she set up three blue plastic chairs for
View fullsize Written by: Akiko Chau Typical American 17-year olds ride in their parents’ car to school, have a part time job, talk to their girlfriend or boyfriend on the phone and study as hard as what is necessary to get them to a 4-year university. Typical 17-year olds from rural areas of Ghana walk
Our original lantern was created in partnership with Energizer and has been working very successfully for the last several years. Unfortunately, Energizer made the difficult decision to discontinue manufacturing their appliances, instead focusing on their battery production. We purchased enough lanterns to supply the schools we currently have. However, we know that soon lanterns that
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This is Mirabell View fullsize Mirabell lives in a small village community named Bahankra, located in the Ashanti region of Ghana, West Africa. View fullsize When we first met Mirabell, she was extremely quiet. She would barely look us in the eye and we kept wondering, “why did the teachers all recommend we
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We are excited to announce that in collaboration with Empower Mali, Empower Playgrounds has installed a new merry-go-round in Ferekoroba Primary School in Mali, West Africa. This is the first ever merry-go-round placed at a school outside of Ghana! The merry-go-round was installed September 1 -4 by EPI employee’s George and Isaac with the help
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