The St Nicholas Foundation has launched an appeal to Ghanaian businesses, philanthropists, churches and community organisations to help restore the Original St Nicholas Foundation Building. In this structure, St Nicholas Preparatory School first opened its doors in 2012.
Built around 2008 alongside the St Nicholas Orthodox Church, the two-storey building initially served Foundation and church activities and welcomed seafarers arriving through the nearby port. It later became a hub for community life in Tema New Town, hosting St Nicholas Day celebrations and welcoming visiting athletes, government officials and members of the Greek community, before becoming the school’s first classroom block.
The building and school form part of a wider story rooted in the long relationship between Ghana and the Greek maritime community. The vision was strongly shaped by Captain Panagiotis N. Tsakos and the Tsakos family’s longstanding connection with Ghana. The Tsakos family and associated foundations have supported St Nicholas from its earliest days and continue to do so today. The Efthymiadis family has also been a longstanding benefactor, alongside donors from Ghana, Greece, the United Kingdom and the international maritime world, whose collective support has helped the Foundation develop and sustain the school.
Since opening in 2012, St Nicholas Preparatory School has served 276 children, with 65 graduates to date. Today, however, the original building can no longer be safely used for teaching. An independent structural assessment has found significant deterioration due to prolonged exposure to the coastal environment, requiring structural reinforcement, masonry repair, damp-proofing, and refurbishment of the adjoining toilet and washroom block. As a result, two kindergarten classrooms serving approximately 50 children have been withdrawn from use.
The Foundation is seeking approximately GHS 1,000,000 (roughly £50,000 / €58,000 / US$66,000) to complete the restoration. This project engineers say can be finished within two to three months once funding is secured. By comparison, constructing a new facility of similar size would cost an estimated £130,000 and take eight to twelve months, making restoration the faster, more cost-effective and heritage-conscious option. Once completed, the work will allow the school’s youngest children to return to safe classrooms while preserving the building where St Nicholas Preparatory School began.
“The Original Foundation Building represents the generosity of the maritime community and the belief that education can change lives,” said Deborah Eleazar, Trustee of the St Nicholas Foundation. “Restoring it is not simply a construction project. It is the continuation of a promise made many years ago.”
The Foundation is now calling on Ghana’s business community to join the families, maritime benefactors, corporations and organisations that have supported St Nicholas over the years, through corporate sponsorship, CSR partnerships, foundation grants or individual giving. Support for the school has come from a broad community of Ghanaian, Greek and international donors, including major corporate partners, reflecting the collective character of the Foundation’s work from its beginnings to the present day.
Key facts
- Location: Tema New Town, Ghana
- Institution: St Nicholas Preparatory School
- Funding target: approximately GHS 1,000,000 (≈£50,000)
- Children currently affected: approximately 50 kindergarten pupils
- Children served since 2012: 276
- Graduates to date: 65
- Estimated works duration once funded: two to three months
- UK Registered Charity No. 1164193
About St Nicholas Preparatory School
Known to many as “the Greek School in Ghana,” St Nicholas Preparatory School has provided education and care to children in Tema New Town since 2012. Its work is sustained through the St Nicholas Foundation and a longstanding network of Ghanaian, Greek and international supporters, including families, businesses and members of the maritime community. In addition to education, the school provides pupils with two meals each school day and basic healthcare support. At the same time, the Foundation continues to assist young people as they progress beyond the school.
