Bole Community.

 

In January 2008 Bros. Stephen and Anacletus were appointed to the Damongo community (to which they officially still belong) with the special assignment of running the St. Kizito Technical Vocational School, situated in Bole, some 120 kms west of Damongo. At first they enjoyed the hospitality of the Bole Parish team, until in July 2008 they moved into their own quarters: a bungalow at the diocesan Guest House premises, thoroughly renovated and all three rooms now self-contained. 

At the same time they started with the building of the school on the new premises close to their living quarters. In 2011 they managed to move the school to the new site. Until then all activities took place at the temporary accommodation on the Parish grounds. 

Already in 2003 the Damongo Diocese in the person of Bishop Philip Naameh asked the Brothers FIC to come and run this technical/vocational institute, which officially opened in 2004. It was not until 2008 that the Brothers actually settled there. Bro. Anacletus is the Principal and Stephen runs the administration. 

St Kizito’s Vocational/Technical School – Bole 

Since the commencement of the Diocese of Damongo in 1995 it was observed that there was a very minimal presence of trained indigenous craftsmen in the building industry. Hence Bishop Naameh thought it necessary to institute a number of programs to build up the capacity of young people in the field of building and carpentry. It was for this purpose that in January 2004 St Kizito’s Vocational/Technical School was started in the parish structures of the Holy Martyrs of Uganda Parish in Bole. St Kizito, one of those martyrs was chosen for the school. He was the youngest of the martyrs, only 14 or 15 years old. 

The Bole Martyrs of Uganda Parish has a partnership with the Parish of St. Johann, Duisburg-Hamborn in Germany. In a joint agreement they decided to embark on a Vocational /Technical School Project in Bole. The school took off on 7th January 2004 with 10 students, 4 permanent staff and 3 part time teachers. The initial course was Carpentry & Joinery. After 2 years, Building & Construction was added, and in 2013 Electrical Installation. The Brothers FIC took over the administration in January 2009. 

In 2011 the school moved to newly built classrooms at the new site, about 3 km north of Bole township. These structures were funded by the Parish’s Partners in Hamborn-Duisburg, Germany. The building was done by the students under the supervision of the Principal, Bro Anacletus. 

On 10 April 2012 the school was officially commissioned by the Bishop of Damongo, Most Rev Peter Paul Angkyier, in the presence of representatives of the Partnership Parish in Germany, the District Chief Executive, traditional authorities, district education office, diocesan priests and religious, PTA, parents, parishioners and other invited people. 

Staff 

The school has a limited staff: 7 permanent teachers, 1 national serviceman, 1 voluntary teacher, 1 workshop assistant, 1 night watchman, 1 secretary and a part-time secretary/bursar. Most are paid by the Diocese of Damongo, the owner of the school, which cannot afford to pay more teachers. 

Students 

Originally the school was meant for young men and women of the wes- tern part of the Damongo Diocese, the parishes of Bole, Bamboi, Tinga, Sawla, Tuna and Kalba. However, only very few candidates from the Bole area presented themselves. A few came from Sawla and Tuna. The great majority have come from the parishes of Wa Diocese, which was not the original intention. It is a big challenge for the school to reach out to the local people. Most students are Christian, with many Catholics among them. A good percentage of them are Muslim and a few are traditional believers. 

                                                      

Usually there are a fair number of new entrants in form one, but in the course of the years many of them drop out, mainly for fi- nancial reasons. Many are satisfied with the practical training they receive in the school and are not bothered with academic work which would prepare them for further training. As a result they will remain at low level employment after leaving the school. 

Private school 

St Kizito’s Vocational/Technical School is a private school and has no support from Ghana’s government. Funding for new structures, salaries, running costs, etc. have to come from private sources. The main sponsors of the school are the Diocese of Damongo which pays some teachers salaries, and the partnership Parish of St. Johann. Through the generous contributions of the latter we have financed the building of two 3-unit classroom blocks and a students’ hostel. 

Apart from the partnership parish we received generous support of many other benefactors such as Bro. Wim and Sr. Paula in Ec- kelrade (computers, tools), Mrs Tiny Pittie and co-workers (photo- copier), the Bole District Assembly (electricity poles, borehole) as well as the GET (Ghana Education Trust) Fund who also allocated two 3-unit classroom blocks to the school. 

Challenges and Dilemmas 

Though the school has been blessed with many good events and activities, there are many challenges and dilemmas. Firstly, the staff situation is precarious. We need more qualified staff but have no funds to pay them. 

Then there is the number of students; even though the school advertises the recruitment of new students in the churches and mosques in the districts of Bole and Sawla, the response is not encouraging, though there is a little improvement. The academic standards of our new entrants is low, as most have BECE results that prevent them from entering secondary education schools. And lastly, the students’ financial resources are limited. 

Lastly, there is a budget problem. The Diocese of Damongo has only limited financial resources. The school will need to find in- come-generating activities. At present a carpentry workshop is being established for this purpose. Though our benefactors are very generous, the school cannot fully depend on their contributions. The school may apply to funding agencies for specific projects, such as means of transport, tools, building projects, library and text books, office equipment, water and electricity, etc. 

Conclusion 

The beginning of everything is always full of challenges. However, with God everything is possible. Our Founders have these encouraging words for us: ‘And you, my Brothers, never grow tired in doing good.’ John’s Gospel says: ‘I have come that they have life and have it to the full.’ (10: 10). 

Therefore, our mission in Bole is to give life to the youth. We are called to serve.