When Dr. Deborah Rose, Japhet Aryiku, and Kafui Prebbie developed the original five-year plan for the Yamoransa Model of Sustainable Development, they committed to building at least one centre in each of the 16 regions in Ghana. However, they recognised that the YM Model had the potential to expand throughout sub-Saharan Africa and beyond. This was evidenced by the opening of the first centre outside Ghana in The Gambia in July 2021. Thus, when Jonathan Wiesner, Deputy Executive Director of HAF, proposed expanding into Liberia, the management team immediately approved sending a delegation to explore that possibility.
In August 2023, Dr. Rose, Jonathan Wiesner, and Kafui Prebbie travelled to Monrovia to meet with Senator Wesseh and other government officials. The Senator introduced the team to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who was enthusiastic about the project.
The team then met with Madam Tanneh Brunson, the Chairperson of the JJ Roberts Educational Foundation. Madam Brunson had established a computer centre at the First United Methodist Church and invited them to visit the center. She had several rows of desktop computers set up on wooden carousels that were connected to a server, and while the configuration and the layout were similar to the YM Model, unfortunately, the server connection to the internet was slow and intermittent, which prohibited any efficient educational use. Dr. Rose immediately proposed replacing the computers and the server with the Yamoransa Model Edu Lab Gold configuration and equipment which was enthusiastically accepted by Madam Brunson and her colleagues.
As usual, TechAide and Implementers performed a comprehensive needs assessment in March 2024 including visiting the beneficiary schools that were within a 10-minute walk. They recommended that a 36-seat lab be installed with a separate makerspace room. This option would see the complete removal of the existing furniture and computers from the ICT center and replaced with the standard YM Lab computers and furniture. After the commissioning of the Yamoransa Model Lab, it is expected to serve 8 schools within the catchment area.
On Wednesday, July 24, 2024, the completed Yamoransa Lab was dedicated in a ceremony at the Methodist Church. The ceremony included comments by the Minister of Education for Liberia, Dr. Jarso Maley Jallah, Dr. Deborah Rose, President of HAF Japhet Aryiku, Executive Director, HAF Jonathan Wiesner, Deputy Executive Director, HAF, Kafui Prebbie, CEO of TechAide and IMPLEMENTERS and Madam Tanneh Brunson and other members of the JJ Roberts Educational Foundation.
Other Lab Projects
