Ghana receives new classrooms through Latter-day Saints donation

Students at Old Lashibi Junior High School in Tema will no longer be forced to abandon their lessons when the skies open. After years of learning in overcrowded, deteriorating classrooms, the school has received a major upgrade—thanks to a sweeping renovation and construction project funded by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In a ceremony on November 7, Church representatives formally handed over a refurbished six-classroom block and a newly constructed three-classroom building, significantly expanding capacity and improving safety and comfort for more than 570 students drawn from three neighboring communities.

For years, conditions at Old Lashibi had fallen far below basic standards. More than 60 students were packed into each classroom, many sitting four to a desk. Leaking roofs frequently brought lessons to a halt, while the lack of doors, secure windows, and functioning washrooms left both students and supplies vulnerable. Broken taps, crumbling ceilings, and failing toilets further underscored the school’s urgent need for help.

Responding to a formal request, the Church’s humanitarian arm launched a project to renovate the original block—now equipped with 60 dual desks—and build an additional three-classroom structure furnished with 180 desks. The school’s toilet facilities were also fully restored.

During the handover, former headmistress Mrs. Francisca Eshun Aidam expressed deep gratitude, noting that the school’s needs had been great but the response had exceeded expectations. “What we requested was something simple, but you went beyond the imaginable,” she said. “You have given us a beautiful edifice… what you have done for us is incredible.”

President Stephen Abu, who leads the Tema Ghana Stake of the Church, framed the project as part of a wider religious mandate to lift communities through service. Citing scripture that commands care for the vulnerable, he said such efforts are central to the Church’s identity. He pointed to initiatives across West Africa—including the All-Africa Service Project and BYU Pathways—as evidence of that broader commitment.

But he also underscored that buildings alone do not shape futures. “The work itself—the most difficult and far-reaching impact on the children—is what the teaching and non-teaching staff are doing,” he told assembled students and educators. “Your impact, your work, is far richer in their lives than what money alone can do.”

Current headmistress Mrs. Christiana Oppong Asare offered the vote of thanks, describing the day as one worthy of celebration. “We are so grateful to God for this wonderful opportunity to benefit from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” she said. “It is by grace and through your own effort that this has happened.”

After a closing prayer by the school pastor, teachers, students, and Church leaders walked together to the new building, where a ribbon-cutting marked the official completion of the project.

For the Church, the work at Old Lashibi is a tangible expression of its doctrine on education, outlined in the General Handbook, which encourages members to support broad access to learning as part of helping individuals achieve their divine potential.