In any given classroom, an educator’s primary focus is to instruct students in the given curriculum, but this is under the assumption that students regularly arrive to school each day with their basic needs met. As Abraham Maslow suggested, students must meet a hierarchy of needs before they reach their full potential. Without satisfying these basic needs, it is unfair to assume students can sit in overcrowded classrooms and be expected to learn, even from the best educators. Students need to have physical needs met before any meaningful learning can take place. Simply put, to not acknowledge this is ultimately a disservice to students.
In a school setting, this equates to creating a welcoming and functional environment that in turn, motivates students to excel. Giving students a place of their own in a classroom is a small, pivotal act that can change the trajectory of their education, and in turn, life.
For everyone who kindly donated to Mark Drnach's birthday fundraiser in August, we want to follow up to share the impact of your kindness.
We used a significant portion of the donation to hire a local Ghanian business to build 80 desks for students at Divine Kids. This need was expressed as an urgent concern by the founder of the school due to the growing enrollment of students. We found this project important to meet the basic needs of the students in the classroom and supports the creation of a more functional learning environment.
Thank you to all who donated for supporting the education of a future generation.