First National Supports Kunke Foundation

STORY: WILLIAM BEEKO
First National Savings and Loans has donated an amount of GH¢500 to the Kunke Foundation, a non-governmental organisation based in the Central Region to support the construction of the Mensakrom community library as part of its annual Boafo Project.
The Mensakrom Community Library Project is collaboration between the chiefs and people of Mensakrom and the Kunke Foundation.

In an interview with the Founder of the foundation, Mr. Michael Kunke, he disclosed that he was moved by the lack of books in schools at the community hence thought it wise to embark on such a project.
“It is very sad that the school children of Mensakrom have no text books, story books and general knowledge books to study.
…About 20 pupils in one classroom usually have to share one over-used tattered and torn text book, just to do their homework, while elsewhere in Ghana books meant for the mental development of children go waste and un-used. We realised that the children of Mensakrom need a library stocked with enough books to complement education in the community,” he said.

Touching on the aims and objectives of the foundation, Mr. Kunke revealed that the foundation is a small foundation working in Mensakrom to transform lives and make a big difference in the community.
“The Kunke Foundation is inspired by myself and our aim is to add value to human lives touching the lives and make people smile.
Over here in Mensakrom, we have planted a golden seed and what we do is to water and nurture it to grow and become a reality.
The foundation is basically designed to reduce illiteracy among children and the youth by emphasizing and promoting quality education and learning; make every child of school going age attend school; inculcate the culture of reading among children in the village; bring out the evolving beauty of the digital world to their doorstep through an Information Technology programme in the town; network the children of Mensakrom to opportunities outside their own small world through exchange program initiatives; build a clean healthy town and to also provide guidance for growing teenagers,” disclosed Mr. Kunke.
Mensakrom is a small town located in the Agona East District of the Central Region of Ghana. The town has about 6,000 people with three schools each having a primary and junior high school blocks.
The Kunke Foundation in 2006 initiated the Boafo Project; this is a series of projects that The Kunke Foundation undertakes annually. Each project has a different theme or purpose.
In 2006, the first Boafo Project of the foundation was undertaken with the presentation of over one 100 assorted school uniforms and clothing to school children in the community.
The beneficiary schools included the Mansofo ADA Primary School and the Amanful ADA School.
The foundation also donated teaching and learning materials to the Amanful ADA Pre-school, last year.
The foundation is seeking to renovate a defunct post office and convert it into a community library as its Boafo Project designed for the year 2010.
Through its donation page on the social media network, Facebook, the foundation with the help of McBryce Consultancy has raised an amount of GH¢632 out of the total amount of GH¢8, 709 needed for the renovation works.
The Chief of Mensakrom, Nana Appiah Kubi V and his elders during a visit to the place poured libation to traditionally purify the premises and seek for spiritual assistance from their forefathers and ancestors for the commencement of the project.
The library when completed would serve not only Mensakrom but 4 other surrounding villages, to promote literacy in Mensakrom as well as provide a space for the school children to access information and gain knowledge.