TOLEDO, Ohio — One local teacher is helping to make a difference thousands of miles away.
For the last 20 years, Scott High School teacher Nykiiah Wright has loved sharing stories.
"Through that horrible experience, COVID, we found that there are more things that connect than separate us,” Wright said.
Following the pandemic, she said she wanted to take those stories around the world.
So, she created the Family World School, a nonprofit organization looking to use reading and writing to help students make progress in their learning.
It’s through this nonprofit that Wright first traveled to Ghana, and her visit left a lasting impression.
“When I walked through, I could see everything that was needed. It was like there were two kids sharing one book, one teacher writing longhand from a textbook on the board — the lighting. I could just see it all. And I thought, ‘You know, what can we do?’” said Wright.
She wanted to help the students at the Knowledge Hub school in Ghana and hoped to take their education to the next level.
So, she started a fundraiser back in 2021 to do just that.
While she only managed to raise $400, thanks to the monetary exchange, the money was more than enough to buy an entire year of Wi-Fi and laptops, completely changing how these kids can learn.
“With that, they were able to fix up some infrastructure, get some skylighting, and whiteboards. It has just been a wonderful experience,” said Wright.
However, success doesn’t come on your own. The Family World School has thrived through multiple partnerships and volunteers.
The Director of Knowledge Hub, Benjamin Brobbey, says without the help, not only would his students be without the resources they need, but they would also be without the friends they’ve made through the program.
"Our kids here at Knowledge Hub would not have that exposure or experience, and her kids also wouldn’t know how things are being done here,” Brobbey said.
But they didn’t stop there.
They’ve since extended to South Africa, Israel, the United Kingdom, and ultimately the United States.
"Our partnership is more than just books,” said Brobbey.