Celebrating Milestones, Shaping Futures
Bakery
Awaso Academy has an onsite bakery that provides the students and staff with fresh bread daily. The bakery prepares enough bread for the school and also sells bread to Awaso village. They offer white, wheat, and butter bread. The bakery is self sustaining and a important addition to the school and community.
Library
Awaso Academy has a library that provides free access to books for the school, staff and community. The library was established in 2010 when first students arrived at the academy. It provides a safe place for students to study and receive after school tutoring. As the goal of all libraries, it increases the students interest in reading. The library has made a positive impact on the entire village offering current information and providing a safe gathering place.
Sewing Classes
The addition of seven sewing machines now allows more students to participate in junior high school level sewing classes. The new machines, made possible by a generous donor, are up and running. These sewing classes build confidence, enhance creativity, and impart the use of math skills. Following directions and developing fine motor skills is an integral part of sewing. This form of creativity and design is also an important aspect of African culture.
Teacher Housing
Teacher Housing was completed and occupied in 2019. Having on campus housing will allow the academy to attract and retain quality teachers.
Fish Ponds
In the southeast corner of the campus, three fish ponds are teaming with catfish and tilapia. The quiet ponds come alive when they are fed twice a day. Each crop fingerling catfish (5120) and tilapia (3245) are put into a freshly cleaned pond. The tilapia has become a local favorite while the catfish do their job of eating the tilapia eggs to ensure the pond does not become overcrowded and threaten the necessary oxygen level in the pond. The fish not only add nutrition to the school meals, they have also proven their value as an income making venture selling to restaurants outside the Awaso area. The academy board is considering adding three more ponds in the future.
Awaso Academy Farm
The academy has a large area dedicated for the school farm The soil is perfect to support a variety of crops. The large academy tractor is used to tile the soil and add chicken manure each year. Tiling helps to keep the weeds down and it makes the area ready to plant rows crops each season. The main crop in the farm is corn/maize which is dried and grounded into corn meal. The farmhands have also grown cabbage, beans, tomatoes, okra, peppers, farm eggs, and squash. In addition to these seasonal crops, the farm also has produced pineapple, cassava, oranges, and plantains.
Farm Animals
Two permanent structures house the poultry and farm animals on the academy campus. When running at full capacity, one building is able to house 400 chickens, 200 hundred roosters or turkeys, and the other building of equal size house over 20 goats and sheep. The farm’s latest arrivals in March 2024 of 208 day old chicks/pullets were derived from Holland. We are hopeful that they will start laying eggs by the end of May or early July. The eggs are used in the student meals and the extra eggs are sold in Awaso to the local community.
Computer Lab
To thrive in a digital world, the students have access to a computer lab to be empowered with the necessary digital skills. Thanks to a generous donor the computer lab has added 20 new computers. The All-In-One computers are shared by grades 1 to 9. The students use the computers to complete classwork assignments and access the internet, and prepare for the computer portion of their national exams. In addition, there are two Chromebooks for the junior high students; the goal is to grow this number so there is enough for each of the 70 students.
The Awaso Academy Computer Lab will provide the technology skills required to advance in the digital world and improve their educational advancement.
