Two Decades, Five Phases, One Vision: The Story of Word Academy in Zuarungu, Ghana
Some stories cannot be told in a single update. They unfold over decades, one building, one classroom, one answered prayer at a time. This is one of those stories.
Where It Began
Nearly two decades ago, Ellen Abramson met Pastor Peter Awane after his school building in northern Ghana was washed away during the rainy season. Where others might have seen only loss, Ellen and Peter saw an opportunity to build something permanent. Together they committed to a five-phase education development project, beginning with an elementary school and reaching all the way through senior high.
Peter's vision was never small. His ministry radiates a commitment to spread the teachings and love of Christ through preaching, radio ministry, and the empowering tool of education. His aspiration spans five acres in Zuarungu, near Bolgatanga in Ghana's Upper East Region, not merely as land but as fertile ground for dreams, growth, and legacy: a Christian education framework that offers not just knowledge, but a pathway to prosperous living.
Building, Phase by Phase
Brick by brick, phase by phase, Word Academy, known for many years as the Word International School, rose from that vision. What began as an elementary school grew steadily upward and outward. By the summer of 2023, we celebrated the grand opening of a new school building serving grades 1 through 9, its classrooms bustling with eager young minds. The journey to that point had been nothing short of miraculous.
But the vision was only partially fulfilled. Students primed to make the leap into higher education were waiting on classrooms for grades 10 through 12. So we set our sights on Phase 5, the Senior High School, and rallied our supporters to fund its completion. Those classrooms represented more than brick and mortar. They were gateways to opportunity, ambition, and dreams realized, allowing graduates to move directly into higher education without the need for remedial training.
You answered. Gift by gift, your generosity carried the project forward and put the finish line within sight.
Celebrating Together
In February 2025, a diverse mission team of thirteen, spanning generations and backgrounds, from pastors and chaplains to first-time travelers stepping out in faith, traveled to Ghana and celebrated the grand opening of the third floor, adding three new Senior High School classrooms. We worshipped beneath a humble tree in Doba, in Kologo, and amid a dusty field at a women's conference. Witnessing the joyful students and proud community leaders reinforced why this work matters.
God kept connecting the dots. A data project in Wisconsin nearly twenty years earlier led to a divine partnership with the Angaza Center to bring a fully equipped computer lab to the Senior High School. On September 12, 2025, that computer lab officially launched, placing modern tools for learning directly into our students' hands.
The Final Building
And now, all these years later, we have completed construction of the final building for the Senior High School. And with it comes news worth celebrating: Word Academy is now fully accredited by the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education.
That accreditation is a big deal. It is not simply granted; it must be earned. The Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education require that certain facilities be in place before accreditation is awarded, and this final phase of the development project accommodated all of those requirements. Accreditation means Word Academy has met a national standard, and it means our graduates leave with credentials that are recognized throughout Ghana as they step into university and beyond.
Think about what that means. A school that once washed away in the rain now stands as a permanent, nationally accredited institution educating children from elementary school through senior high, preparing them for university and for lives of purpose. What Ellen and Peter envisioned nearly two decades ago is standing, full of students, in Zuarungu today.
Help Us Cross the Finish Line
The final building is complete in time for the new school year, and we praise God for that. But a funding gap still remains for this final phase of construction, and we need your help to close it.
For nearly twenty years, this project has moved forward because people like you believed in Peter's vision and gave faithfully. We are asking you to help us finish what we started together. Every gift, regardless of size, brings us closer to closing this gap and fully completing the five-phase journey.
Would you be part of crossing the finish line?
