Suzy Pett
Akenkan Founder and Leader
Suzy graduated from Cambridge University in 2009 and is currently Head of English at Wimbledon High School. Suzy has loved all things Ghanaian since she spent four months teaching in a Ghanaian primary school in 2006. She founded Akenkan in 2010 after flying out to Ghana to consult with teachers in the rural Akwapim Hills to ensure that Akenkan would best help their needs. While Deputy Head of English at Surbiton High School, she developed the project with great passion, and in 2012 led the School's first Ghana expedition with 14 pupils to set up the inaugural Akenkan Summer School. This was attended by over 200 rural Ghanaian children. Following the huge success of this, she is leading the 2015 trip to Ghana with double the number of UK pupils. In 2014, Suzy beat 20,000 other UK teachers to win the highly prestigious Pearson Teaching Award's Outstanding Teacher of the Year.
"It's amazing to see how much the Ghanaian children love reading our books. I will never forget Janet. She hugged her Akenkan book tightly with a huge smile on her face and said she was going to go home to read it with her family."
"It's amazing to see how much the Ghanaian children love reading our books. I will never forget Janet. She hugged her Akenkan book tightly with a huge smile on her face and said she was going to go home to read it with her family."
Sharon Stead
Akenkan co-Leader
A former journalist, Sharon has been Head of English at Surbiton High School for 6 years and has played an important role in developing and promoting Akenkan since its infancy. Her passion and enthusiasm has propelled it to grow bigger and better. Sharon co-led the Summer 2015 Akenkan Summer School which involved managing a group of 12 girls in the writing, illustrating and fundraising for two new books ready for publication and hand-delivery to the Ghanaian children. It was in 2012 when helping to run the first ever Akenkan Summer School in Ghana that Sharon saw the life-changing impact of our bespoke literacy resources on children in the Akwapim Hills and the UK pupils who attended. As a result of this, Suzy, Sharon and Nana are taking Akenkan to its next level!
"The teachers in Ghana are gracious and welcoming; it's a case of working closely with them and not just telling them how we do it in London"
"The teachers in Ghana are gracious and welcoming; it's a case of working closely with them and not just telling them how we do it in London"
Nana Osei Tutu
In-Country Akenkan Co-ordinator and co-Leader
Nana is a teacher in Ghana and has worked in the Akwapim Hills region and in Accra. Nana helped Suzy develop the idea of Akenkan and is in charge of its implementation in the Akwapim Hills. He is our country expert and invaluable for ensuring our books are appropriate for Ghanaian children. He liaises with local Ghanaian primary schools to ensure everything is coordinated.
Our main writers, illustrators and fundraisers from Surbiton High School: