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.