MR KHALID DAUDA...The driver with a heart (JUNIOR GRAPHIC PAGE 6)

It was his responsibility as a child to send his uncle’s livestock for grazing each morning before he could dash to school.
After walking a long distance to and from school, he had to sell kerosene in the evenings in order to raise money to supplement what his uncle gave him daily.
In spite of being a shepherd, as well as perform household chores, he never gave up on his education because he loved being in school.
Young Khalid began his education at the then Wa Experimental Primary School and proceeded to Wa Middle School, from where he was recruited into the Fire Service Volunteer Group. He passed out as one of the best recruits, at age 17.
Although his formal education ended at the middle school level, he placed a lot of value on education. It was this love for education which caused him to help children within his community and beyond to have quality education.
It is, therefore, not surprising that the Our Home International School which is one of the best private schools that Wa, the capital of the Upper West Region, can boast of; is the brain child of 57-year-old Mr Khalid Dauda, a professional driver.
Sharing his life experience with the Junior Graphic, Mr Dauda attributed his success story to the advice and support of his friends. He particularly mentioned his bosom friend, popularly known as Alhaji Condition, who encouraged him to take up the challenge of starting the school.
After completing Middle Form Four, Mr Dauda worked with the Ghana Fire Service for three years and became a contractor before joining the Architectural and Engineering Services Limited as a driver for close to 19 years.
What began as private tuition for four children from his neighbourhood on his porch has today transformed into a first class preparatory school that could measure up to any of the top schools in the country.
It all started when his wife resigned from the Social Welfare Department, and his friend, who knew about his love for children and education, suggested to him that they start a nursery school at home for his wife to take charge of.
“After careful thought, I impressed upon my wife to go through the necessary training, and when she completed the course on pre-school education, we started. From then on, my porch became the classroom, with just four children from the neighbourhood,” he recalled.
He said the school grew rapidly when the neighbours realised that the children were performing well.
Through the support of the parent-teacher association (PTA), the school now has decent premises and has also acquired a bus with the help of an expatriate friend of the school from Holland.
Our Home International School now has 181 pupils at the primary section, with about 500 children at the kindergarten and nursery departments.
Currently, the school receives volunteer teachers from Belgium and Holland to complement the efforts of their Ghanaian counterparts.
Currently, the school has two teachers in each classroom from nursery up to the primary level. Although Mr Dauda is the proprietor of the school, he continues to drive the children to and from school each day to ensure that they get to and from school early and safely.
"Presently, my vision is to develop this school to be able to compete with other schools in all fields, be it academic, sports or any other discipline,” stressed Mr Dauda.
He thus advised children never to give up on their dreams and make do with whatever that is provided them by their parents.

WA SHS SPEAKS ON MATERNAL MORTALITY (JUNIOR GRAPHIC, PAGE 15)

My understanding of maternal mortality is when women die through childbirth. I believe that many women are dying through childbirth as a result of malnutrition.
Fortunately for me, I do not know any woman who died through childbirth but I hear of women dying while giving birth from other people.
I believe that the problem of maternal mortality could be solved if our health centres were equipped with the right professionals who can take proper care of pregnant women and also advise them on the dos and don’ts during pregnancy.
When this is done, at least, we could minimise these unfortunate deaths if not stop them entirely.


I know a young girl who died while giving birth. I learnt because her body was not fully developed, she had complications and died together with the baby.
I will, therefore, take this opportunity to advise all young girls not to indulge in pre-marital sex in order not to expose themselves to any danger.
I also think we need more gynaecologists to educate and advise our pregnant mothers on issues related to their pregnancies. When that is done, I am convinced we would achieve results.
Husbands also have to encourage their pregnant wives to go for regular ante-natal check-ups and not overwork their wives.

Maternal mortality is used to describe women who die during pregnancy or while giving birth.
Currently, the Upper West Region is said to be leading in terms of deaths related to pregnant women and children under five years in the country.
I think that when the road network across the region is improved and the nutrition as well as health of women is well catered for, a lot of gains will be made in this direction.
I will advise women to seek proper medical care when pregnant and also eat nutritious foods. These among other things will help reduce maternal mortality in the country.


There was this woman from Doli in the Bole District of the Northern Region who died while having her baby.
It was alleged that she died because she did not eat well before and even during the pregnancy. As a result, she developed complications during the pregnancy which consequently led to her death during delivery.
One of the causes of maternal deaths in the country is that some women work too hard. Up here in the north, for instance, a lot of women work very hard but do not eat well, therefore, their health is affected when they get pregnant.
I suggest that special diets are recommended for pregnant women when they visit the hospital. Pregnant women must also attend regular check-ups. There must be continuous public education to make women know what they have to do when pregnant to save their lives.