The SNF in Ghana - Stavros Niarchos Foundation

Two people sit and talk on stage as part of the 3rd Bloomberg Africa Business Media Innovators Forum

Source: SNF

SNF representatives are attending the 3rd Africa Business Media Innovators Forum, taking place in Ghana, organized by Bloomberg Philanthropies.

The ABMI2017 convenes leaders in media, technology, business, civil society and the philanthropic community from across Africa and around the world to address "The Changing Face of Media and New Hybrid Models". The annual event is part of the Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa, a pan-Africa program aiming to advance financial journalism, as well promote transparency, accountability and good governance in the continent.

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation is participating in the forum as part of its overarching philosophy of supporting best practices that promote civil discourse and informed leadership, for which a transparent media landscape is crucial. To that end the SNF is supporting a scholarship program for journalists from Greece in collaboration with the Columbia Journalism School. The aim of the program is to provide Greek journalists with the proper tools to enhance their skills so that they may, in turn, raise the level of their work and contribute to Greek journalism. The SNF is currently in communication with Bloomberg Philanthropies as well, exploring the possibilities for collaborations and synergies to support journalism on a global basis.

As part of their visit to Ghana, colleagues from the SNF Programs Department visited several community schools which the SNF has partnered with and supported. Specifically, our colleagues visited the M/A Primary School in Kyekyewere, which the Foundation has supported through our grant to Voluntary Service Overseas, Presby Primary A in West Mamprusi, developed through our grant to ActionAid Hellas, as well as the Orthopedic Hospital and Rehabilitation Institute (FOCOS) in Accra, which, since 2012, has been providing orthopedic services, including diagnostics, imaging and laboratory, outpatient consultation and surgical care, to adults and children.

Through its grant to VSO, the SNF has supported a pilot project of a mobile platform for sustainable teacher development and networking in Ghana providing quality resources and change in teacher practices, in order to improve reading outcomes in primary grades. Teachers can access the resources via a smartphone, tablet or computer.

Furthermore, through its grant to Action Aid Hellas, the SNF supported the construction of a 3-unit school block, designed to serve 4-6 grade students, in Kyekyewere, a village in the Greater Accra region. Insufficient school building capacity, meant that approximately 100 children had their lessons outdoors; significantly impairing the quality of their education and leaving the children exposed to a series of dangers. The project was implemented with the support of 60 Greek volunteers.

In addition, through its grant to FOCOS, the SNF supported the procurement of surgical suites and the implementation of surgical missions in the region, contributing to the execution of more than 3,000 life changing complex surgeries on both adults and children.