Working in Ghana

Alongside our work in the UK and supporting wider international campaigns, Gower Street has a special geographic focus on Ghana. As a country that is in the frontline of the climate crisis and is known for its active and committed civil society, Ghana is a place where change is both needed and possible. Gower Street has a long history of supporting education work in Ghana and in the spend down phase up until 2030 this focus is being combined with support for civil society action on climate. Finding the most effective way for a UK based trust to support work in Ghana is a process of ongoing learning; both in terms of who we fund and how we identify them. We aim for our decision making to be as participatory and Ghana driven as possible. This blog post from December 2022 explains how this approach is developing.

Strengthening the education system

As part of a stable, developing country with a progressive policy environment the Ghanaian Education System has every chance of offering transformative opportunities to the children and teachers that are part of it. However, the system is under resourced and stretched across hugely diverse settings, meaning that civil society has a hugely important role to play in helping meet that potential. We support the work of small to medium sized organisations that work to strengthen the Ghanaian education system with a bias towards grassroots groups and those who drive for greater equality in access to education.

Backing civil society action on climate

Across Ghana the impact of climate change is a daily lived reality. The civil society response is diverse and often very holistic in nature, taking into account how people can adapt to new realities whilst also working to mitigate the effects of climate change and wherever possible leapfrog the most polluting activities the northern hemisphere has relied on to grow economically. We support a range of groups of individuals who approach climate change from different angles including natural resource management and sustainable agriculture, youth campaigning, public awareness raising and policy change.

Working at the intersection of education and climate

Climate change and education are not separate issues but are inextricably linked. In Ghana many civil society actors acknowledge this and are adapting their work in light of it. We back our partners in this work and will continue to support efforts that work across education and climate change up until 2030.