Hearts across continents: Ballymena students build hope and community in rural Ghana

Love Ballymena
Jul 11, 2025
4 min read

The St Louis Grammar School students pictured before leaving Accra

The St Louis students pictured before leaving Accra

Fourteen Year 13 students and five staff from St Louis Grammar School, Ballymena, have returned from a truly transformative trip to Ghana, where their visit to the remote hilltop village of Oku became far more than a charitable outreach — it became a deeply personal experience of mutual understanding, friendship, and cultural exchange.

This was not simply a school trip. It was the culmination of months of intense fundraising and community support, and a journey into one of the most underserved regions of Ghana. Their destination: a sister school run by the Sisters of St Louis, where hope thrives in even the most challenging of conditions.

Building more than just walls

The new science lab and training room under construction - funded by St Louis GS, Ballymena

Prior to the journey, the group embarked on an ambitious fundraising effort that brought together parishes and families from across County Antrim — including Antrim, Cushendall, Dunloy, Glenavy, Killead, Glenravel, Portglenone, Randalstown, Rasharkin, and beyond.

With support from organisations such as the Apostolic Order and McKeown Fine Foods, the team successfully raised enough to build and fully furnish:

A state-of-the-art science laboratory, the first of its kind in the village

A youth training centre to provide life and employment skills to local teenagers

These buildings are already being used, transforming not just education, but aspiration, in a village that has long been underserved.

Oku: A village of resilience

The village of Oku

The front of the main school building in Oku

Oku is a small, isolated village high in the hills, reachable only via hours of rough, unpaved roads — roads so remote that even many Ghanaians have never travelled them.

Most homes are traditional mud dwellings, and the economy relies on subsistence farming. Families grow maize, groundnuts, beans, mangoes, oranges, and more, working the land together in close-knit community.

Despite the lack of resources, education is prized. The school — built by the Sisters of St Louis — is more than an academic institution. It is a community hub, a sanctuary, and a symbol of hope for the future.

Another one of three outreach schools which caters for almost 100 pupils

Empowering communities through outreach

St Louis Grammar School staff, pictured before leaving Accra

In the past year alone, the Oku school has helped establish three satellite schools in neighbouring villages. These were intended to serve 100 children who previously walked up to six miles a day to attend class. But demand quickly exceeded expectations, and now over 300 children attend these modest but vital new schools.

While they may lack furniture, blackboards, and textbooks, the classrooms are filled with energy, determination and joy.

“These children are hungry to learn,” said one of the Ballymena staff. “They may not have shoes, but they have dreams.”

Miss Pickering and Mrs McDonald pictured visiting one of the outreach schools - three classrooms under one roof, split by a blackboard.

A warm welcome and deeper connection

GAA skills training!

The Ballymena group didn’t just fund new buildings — they became part of the community. During their visit, the students painted classrooms, led art and drama workshops, sang songs, danced, played football, and simply spent time with local children and families.

Sr Joan, the school principal, described the emotional significance of their presence:

“In a world where even many Ghanaians won’t come this far, the fact that a group from Ireland came all this way — not just to give money, but to stay, to share, to laugh and to learn with us — that means everything.”

Elvis took Darragh to visit his home

The welcome was overwhelming. Local families, despite having so little, offered food, music, and hospitality. The students were invited into homes and lives, sharing not just their resources but their hearts.

“We came to help, but we leave feeling like the lucky ones,” one student said. “We’ve learned what community really means — and that friendship knows no borders.”

St Louis Jubilee School in Kumasi welcomes their sister school from Ballymena

What’s next?

Although the group has returned to Northern Ireland, their journey is far from over. Fundraising efforts are ongoing to ensure the work in Oku and the outreach villages continues. Specific goals include:

£2,900 to fully equip the science laboratory (microscopes, models, materials)

£2,500 to support the outreach schools with furniture, supplies, and teacher resources for the coming year

Those wishing to donate can do so through the group’s JustGiving page by tapping the button below.

Donate Here

Anyone interested in sponsoring a full project can email Miss Pickering at: spickering532@c2kni.net

Supported by the Turing Scheme

The trip was partially funded through the UK Government’s Turing Scheme, which supports international education experiences for students. This enabled the group to cover travel, accommodation and logistics, and helped bring this life-changing opportunity to fruition.

A global family rooted in love

For the students of St Louis Grammar, Ballymena, the experience has been life-altering. For the people of Oku, it was a reminder that their village — remote and rarely visited — is seen, valued, and part of a wider global family.

This is the story of how young people, when empowered and supported, can create real change. It is a story of hope rising in the hills of Ghana, built not only with bricks and mortar, but with compassion, solidarity and enduring human connection.