Western Regional YMCA donates first 50 green bags to Funko M/A School

The Western Regional YMCA has donated 50 school bags and learning materials to pupils of Funko M/A School under its Green Bags Outreach initiative.

The presentation, held on 15 September 2026, marked the first distribution under the initiative, which aims to provide 2,000 upcycled school bags to pupils in 10 schools across the Western Region.

The Green Bags Outreach is a component of the Western Regional YMCA’s Green Futures Project, which seeks to reduce plastic waste through recovery and upcycling while supporting the education of children in underserved communities.

Each Green Bag was filled with exercise books, a mathematics set, a sketch book, pens, pencils, erasers and sharpeners. Each bag also carried a special card with a personal message written by a sponsor to the pupil receiving it.

Green Futures Project Lead Goddy Nana Mens

The first distribution was partly supported by 20 individual sponsors, whose contributions helped make the outreach possible. Their personal messages of encouragement were delivered to beneficiaries alongside the bags and learning materials.

Speaking during the presentation, Green Futures Project Lead Goddy Nana Mens said the first distribution represented an important step towards the wider target of reaching more schools and pupils across the region.

“This first donation is about more than giving out 50 bags. A Green Bag gives a child a school bag, essential learning materials and a personal message of encouragement from someone who has chosen to invest in their future. But the real strength of Green Bags is in its design: it removes plastic waste from the environment, creates economic opportunities through local production and supports children’s education. It is rare for one project to sustainably deliver meaningful value across three critical areas of development at once,” he stated.

The Project Lead added that the outreach was designed to address an immediate educational need while helping pupils understand the value of responsible waste management and the potential of discarded materials.

The Head of Funko M/A School expressed appreciation to the Western Regional YMCA and the project’s donors for selecting the school as the first beneficiary of the initiative.

“These bags and the books, especially the bags, are very important to the learners because this community is a rural community where the parents are fisherfolk and artisans. As we speak, most of them are not able to provide these materials to their wards, so receiving the bags will give the learners some comfort and zeal when they are coming to school. We say thank you very much to the YMCA for such a wonderful donation,” he added.

Western Regional Director Nana Peperah Antwi

Western Regional Director Nana Peperah Antwi also expressed the Region’s ambition for the initiative.

“This first donation of Green Bags, for us, is more than just a donation of school supplies — it is a reminder that what we see as waste can become something useful, purposeful and full of hope. With the support of partners and collaborators, the Western Regional YMCA is looking ahead to the next 12 months with an ambition to reach 10 schools with 2,000 upcycled Green Bags while inspiring young people to turn environmental challenges into opportunities,” he stated.

The Green Bags Outreach is expected to combine future bag distributions with environmental education sessions on plastic pollution, waste segregation, recycling and upcycling. The sessions will encourage pupils to adopt environmentally responsible practices in their schools, homes and communities.

Green Futures has so far recovered more than 50,000 pieces of plastic waste and produced more than 150 upcycled items. The project has also organised six coastal clean-ups and 18 school education sessions, and distributed more than 10 dispensers to schools in Takoradi to help reduce plastic waste.

The Western Regional YMCA said the remaining bags would be distributed progressively as additional funds and partnerships are secured. It has invited individuals, businesses and institutions to support the production and distribution of bags to the remaining beneficiary schools.

Supporters can follow the progress of the Green Bags Outreach and other Green Futures activities through the Western Regional YMCA’s social media platforms, @westernregionalymca.