 Siisu Mumuni has a bachelor’s degree in history (B.A History), from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). Thus, he considers himself a Social Scientist. He also has a certificate in computer technology, which complements his social science degree.
Siisu lives in Langbinsi with his extended family of 13, which includes his Mother and Father, 8 siblings, and his wife and a son.
Siisi has been interested in teaching since childhood. During his high school and university years, he used all his vacation time in doing voluntary teaching at Frukan Junior High. He did his National Service as a teacher in Tuna Senior High in 2012/2013 academic year. He is currently the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) teacher in La’angum Learning Centre.
Siisu is a very creative and handy man. He able to translate what he sees or reads concretely with the hand.
Siisu aspires to be a social reformer by analyzing things in the theological perspective and by being a good example in his daily life. He says, “when the body relaxes, the mechanism of the body also relaxes”. He therefore keeps himself busy with subsistence farming.
Siisu is sociable, friendly and embraces views from other religious faiths. He uses these to strengthen his faith and love for everyone because he believes that friendship is one of the most important values in human life.
 The La’Angum school is helpful to us in Bumboazio here because I used to go round looking for somebody to read or identify and sort our hospital cards for us. Now, I have 3 children in my house that can do that. I have an older child who has been in a different local Langbinsi school for four years now but cannot read. I want to plead with you to accept her to join your school. One other thing I like about this school is the food you serve the children. Our children are healthy and always smiling when they come back from school unlike their brothers and sisters in the Langbinsi schools. After school, they are now used to sitting down with us and telling stories about school, teachers and friends. One thing I want to ask is to add 7th, 8th, and 9th grades to La’Angum school. This will help our students to pass the Basic Education Certificate Examination at the end of 9th grade.
Thank you to the marvelous donors who helped us purchase a Motor King!
 On Tuesday, our Motor King arrived, all assembled and ready with drums for hauling water. There was so much excitement and many teachers tried their hand in the school compound, and found out very quickly that driving a Motor King is quite different from a motorcycle. Wuni Baani, the Lunch Program Coordinator will be in charge. With Charles’ help and local entrepreneur with expertise in these vehicles, I drew up a simple contract /guide for the Motor King driver/caretaker. He’s practicing this weekend and will have scheduled time with students to bring water to school.
 Robert Issahaku Bugri is a gentleman of 29 years from Samini, a village northwest of Langbinsi. Robert is the sixth and last born of his parents. All are boys. Robert is the only son of his parents who had access to formal education; all his five elder brothers joined their father in his farming activities.
Robert completed the 3-year Diploma in Basic Education (DBE) University of Cape Coast distance education programme, with support of PAMBE Ghana.
Robert began teaching at the PAMBE Ghana La’angum school in September, 2009. He has taught all the primary classes except P6. He began helping other teachers to guide the KG1 (pre-K) students in his first year, then KG2 (K), and P1 to P5. He is currently the P5 teacher.
Robert is married to a young lady by name Felicia Ape with two children Frank and Joana. Frank is a P2 student in LLC. Joana will start school next year.
Robert and his wife are true believers in God through the Christian faith. Robert has planted a Church in Bumboazio community, called Grace Community Church. Robert is the lead pastor and goes there every Sunday morning to preach and Wednesday evenings for prayers and thanksgiving. Ten of the LLC students and one teacher are among the members of the church.
Robert has so many plans towards the future. He will be adding and updating this biography and sharing as time goes.
 Ibrahim Bukari Issah is a teacher in La’angum Learning Centre. He is 27-year old and a native of Bumboazio. He is from an extended family of 15 brothers and sisters of the same father. He lives in the family compound.
He has a Bachelors degree from the University for Development Studies in Integrated Development option in Economics and Entrepreneurship Studies. Ibrahim is also a farmer who is interested in poultry birds.
He has participated in the activities of PAMBE Ghana since 2008. He was a volunteer teaching assistant in La’angum Learning Centre in 2008/2009 school year. He was also a facilitator in EQUALL (Education Quality for All), a USAID project that supported literacy and numeracy in mother tongue for out of school children in the rural areas.
In 2013/2014, he did his national service at Zabzugu Senior High School after completing his degree course.
He came back to PAMBE Ghana in September, 2014. He is currently a grade three teacher. Ibrahim has participated in many Montessori workshops and has a keen interest in learning and becoming a real Montessori teacher.
When he is not reading or working with his loved pupils in the classroom, he joins the school football team to play soccer. He also plays volleyball using advantage of his height. He is a husband, and a father to Hafiz, a student in KG1 of La’angum Learning Centre. He is waiting anxiously for the arrival of the second child.
 Mary Awinbota-Abotawine Azure is my full name. Awinbota-Abotawine means God loves us and we love Him. I was born on March 9th 1983 to Mr and Mrs Samuel Azure Achinchine. God has blessed my parents with nine children. I am number six. We all live in Langbinsi, a much bigger village near Bumboazio where I teach.
I married a man of God named Martin Aduku in Nalerigu, about 20 miles from the La'angum Learning Centre. God has blessed us with a son, Franklin Behiwin, one year after our wedding. Franklin is three years and eight months this November. My husband and I are doing ministry work at the Nalerigu Second Baptist Church. He is a pastor in the church and I am a teacher.
I was a volunteer teacher in a school in Langbinsi before joining PAMBE Ghana. I was part of the founding of the La’angum Learning Centre in 2008 and have been teaching there since. In fact, I am very proud and happy to be part of the PAMBE Ghana. I have learned a lot and gained much experience in my teaching profession, especially the Montessori Method of Education.
I completed the 3-year Diploma in Basic Education (DBE) from the University of Winneba’s sandwich programme last year.
This is a bit of Mary Awinbota-Abotawine Azure. Thank you.
 Kindergarten teacher
I am a 31-year old woman from Langbinsi. I was born and brought up in a Christian home with a relatively small family. I am second of five children.
I did my elementary education – both primary and junior high school - in Langbinsi Roman Catholic (RC) education unit and completed in 1997. I attended Bolga Girls Senior High from 1998 to 2000. After completing high school I was fortunate to be employed by PAMBE Ghana as a classroom teacher in 2009. Three years later, PAMBE Ghana sponsored me and two other colleague teachers to do diploma in basic education (DBE) at the university of Cape Coast by distance learning. I successful completed the course and now hold a DBE diploma.
I love teaching children. When I was in junior high school I started teaching Sunday school and enjoyed it. I am married and have two beautiful daughters, Lovina and Lordina. We live together with my husband in Langbinsi.
 By Judy Federa
Getting around northern Ghana is tough. Not only does the road system peter out in very rural areas, moving from paved to unpaved, but public transportation is inconvenient and slow. Just like home! Unlike home, most people can’t afford cars or bikes. So folks do what we do: they use cell phones to keep in touch. Alice says that cell phones are ubiquitous, and that almost everyone has one or plans to buy one. There is hardly any village, no matter how remote, where there is not a phone. They are so prevalent, that it is common to observe a toddler pick up an object and put it to their ear. Just like home!
Ghanaians don’t tend to have smart phones due to the expense, and Ghana’s internet infrastructure. But a no-frills cell phone is relatively cheap. Most people in villages are not literate, so they ‘dial’ their cell phones using voice commands. They also use their cell phones to play music. This surprised me until I realized that without electricity, they didn’t have much access to recorded music – cell phones opened up new and wonderful possibilities.
But I wondered - how, in remote areas without electricity, do all these cell phone users charge their phones? These villages are truly remote and often consist of mud hut compounds surrounded by agricultural fields. You might see goats or guinea hens. Lizards. You might see a water pump. No stores or identifiable commercial sections.
Alice explained that this is tricky. There are solar energy installations in some places. A few people exercise their ingenuity with dry cell batteries. Most people have to travel 2-4 miles, to another village, to charge their cell phones. Once they arrive at the home or small business, they must pay cash for the charge. What a seriously inconvenient way to have to do something that we find so simple and routine.
People who are fortunate enough to live in a village that has been electrified via Ghana’s ongoing rural electrification program have literally experienced changed lives. They can charge their cell phones at home, at a radically lower cost in personal time and cash. For them it is much, much easier to keep in touch with loved ones.
Because of PAMBE Ghana’s major role in bringing education to one of the more remote areas of northern Ghana, one which the government might not have been able to address for several years, the local authorities have put the village of Bomboazio, nearest to La’Angum Learning Center, next in line for rural electrification. This benefit may not be realized immediately, but it’s coming. All because PAMBE Ghana, led by Alice Iddi Gubbels, dared to step in and start the process of change, enlisting the cooperation of the local community: private citizens, civic groups, business and governmental entities. Many hands make light work.
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Judy has called Oklahoma home since 2009. She became aware of PAMBE Ghana from her book group, signed up to staff the Global Market in 2010, and since then has served in many capacities, including as administrative coordinator. She is currently on the Board. She is also on the Board of deadCENTER Film Institute, volunteers with the Oklahoma Food Coop, and is a Master Gardener. Judy has a background in marketing and communications with for profit and non-profit organizations.
 Just a quick note to let you know that all 17 PG field staff arrived in Accra safely on Sunday and began a 5-day workshop at Faith Montessori School. The course timetable includes theory and demonstrations in the morning and practice in the afternoons. Yesterday, we began with an overview of Montessori philosophy and practical life activities. Today, the focus will be on numeracy/arithmetic, followed by literacy and language, and cultural studies to Thursday. Friday is reserved for Outdoor, Cosmic Education and Art & Creativity. Our first day went very well.
There was a 2 hour practical practice in a Montessori classroom. Participants had so much fun and participated all throughout. One remarkable observation made was that all teachers of the Faith Montessori served well as guides in all the practical lessons we understood.
Madam Emma, the director of Faith Montessori has really made efforts to make us as comfortable as possible. The accommodation is adequate and we have 3-square meals. There’s also a bus that takes us from the hostel to the course center.
 Renowned artists van Gogh, O'Keeffe and Picasso would have been proud of the Heritage Hall 1st grade artists for masterpieces inspired by their works. The pieces were on display in early May at the annual art gallery benefiting PAMBE Ghana. At last count, nearly $1,800 had been raised for the organization.
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Your Donation Today Will Help PAMBE Ghana Provide:
-- Teacher's salary
-- Children’s health insurance
-- Montessori materials
-- Teacher education
PAMBE Ghana is a 501(c)(3)
registered charitable organization.
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