INDIVIDUAL STORIES

Janet

Janet is a shining example of resilience and determination. After facing immense challenges with the loss of her father, Janet’s journey at Future Leaders School began with uncertainty. Through our scholarship programme, we had the privilege of supporting Janet from Grade 4 to JHS 3 ensuring she had everything she needed (uniform, books, transport and lunches) to focus on her studies.

Janet’s dedication and hard work paid off and she emerged as the top student in her graduating class, acing her Basic Education Certificate Examination.

Step forward one of our Scholarship donors – and a regular volunteer in Ghana – Natasha Lunniss and her colleagues at Hair Artistry in Colchester.  Natasha and her colleagues are generously supporting Janet for the next three years as she attends the Ghanata Senior High School in Accra. Janet will board at the school and we are sure will continue to go from strength to strength.

Samuel

When we first met Samuel he was 10 years old and had spent months living in a wooden shack next to the Community 8 Primary School. His father had abandoned him there and he was trying to survive by begging for food and water.  Despite this, he was coming to school and joining in our sports sessions and once we became aware of his living situation, coach Silas began looking for a solution.

Silas found a loving family living in the same community that took Samuel in and Futurestars now directly supports the family allowing them to provide Samuel with a comfortable place to sleep, regular meals, clothes, school uniforms and all the associated school costs and supplies he needs.

With the support of his new family and Futurestars, Samuel is able to thrive. He is already making great progress in his studies, making friends and participating in various extracurricular activities – as well as playing lots of the football he loves so much!

Eugene

For the past three years, Eugene has been pursuing his academic dreams (along with his love of football) under our scholarship programme at the Future Leaders School.

We became aware that his home life was extremely challenging with nowhere for him and his mother to comfortably live, and during the rainy season Eugene was sleeping outside his grandmother’s compound exposed to all the elements.

Thanks to one of our fantastic scholarship donors – Lee Godfree & family – we have been able to find and pay for a rented apartment for a year Euguene and his mother, along with new mattresses. This should give the family time to get back on their feet.

Caleb

Caleb Rockson was a pupil at one of our partner schools in Tema – Community 8/No.1 Primary School, and took part in our first ever sports festival (and was part of the football team that won the boys’ competition!)

Caleb had always shown an interest in coaching and was a regular volunteer working with our coaches during his school breaks and in our after-school sessions at the Tema Stadium.  Once he completed technical college we were delighted to welcome Caleb onto the Futurestars coaching team in 2022 as an intern and assist him with his aim of becoming  to a licenced coach and this year he is starting a three year HND Marketing course at the Acrra Technical University.

Ellen

Ellen’s life had never been easy. Living in cramped conditions with her cousins and aunt, her mother had been unwell for years, leaving her without any support, and they could barely afford to put food on the table, let alone buy her school supplies or uniform. Despite all the hardships, Ellen excelled academically and loved playing football, it was her headteacher who brought her situation to the attention Futurestars.

A manager from one of our corporate donors took an interest in Ellen’s case and arranged for Ellen to move to a private school where she flourished and her life began to change for the better. In school breaks, Ellen now joins the Futurestars coaches to run pre-school netball sessions and physical education classes in schools. She also participates in after-school netball sessions at the development centre. Her passion for sports and her love for children makes this a perfect fit for her.

Ellen’s hard work and determination paid off, and she was eventually accepted into one of the best secondary schools in Ghana. We think the future is bright for Ellen!