“At first, I didn’t have the courage to be in public but now after being involved in the fun games, I’m able to talk and express myself and I can relate well with my new friends including those who are not blind,” she said.Gloria, who is from Abandzi in Mfantsiman district, the central region of Ghana says the games also help her to engage in some exercise and maintain a healthy body. Her friend Lucy Otoo, 21, who is also a beneficiary of this partnership is thankful for the opportunity to study in the school. “Since coming to this school, I have made many new friends, some of them are different than me. I always look forward to Tuesdays and Wednesdays when recreational games are organised by ANOPA coordinators,” she said. “Despite not being able to see, I feel included by the others during the games session,” said Lucy who hails from Takoradi in the western region of Ghana. Both girls stay at the school dormitory as their homes are too far for daily commute. At the school, they are taught sign language, braille reading and other basic lessons in subjects like English, Mathematics and Science. The Cape Coast School for the Deaf and Blind is a Government School with a population of about 800 students who are both visually and hearing impaired. Although the school is free and open to the public, certain conditions such as Parents Teachers Association fees, uniform and educational materials expenses are a burden to children who come from disadvantaged families. According to ANOPA project executive director Ernest Appiah, more than 90% of the students in the school are from very deprived and vulnerable backgrounds and they find it very challenging to enrol. With the funding from RYTHM Foundation, girls like Lucy and Gloria are able to take part in sports particularly swimming, recreational games and basketball. They are also provided with educational material, school related accessories and food.
Darkness has been a way of life for Gloria Amoah, 19 (right) who was born visually impaired. A beneficiary of the partnership between RYTHM Foundation and the ANOPA Project, Gloria attends the Cape Coast School for the Deaf and Blind in Ghana.
ANOPA is an international sports project based in Cape Coast, Ghana that uses sports, as an instrument for individual development, promotion of gender equity, peace building and other important soft and social skills for kids in the Central Region of Ghana.
Gloria’s favourite activity in school are the recreational games.
