When Robert Levin first traveled to Kopeyia to study traditional Ghanaian culture with Godwin Agbeli in 1988, the 2,000 inhabitants of this rural farming village faced diminishing crop yields, poverty, and isolation due to illiteracy and a lack of resources. Families couldn't afford to send their children to the nearest elementary school, kilometers away. Levin's appreciation for Ghanaian culture and his concern for Kopeyia's lack of educational opportunities prompted him to propose building a public school with Godwin. The elders assented, and Godwin organized Kopeyia to open its school on October 10, 1988, with 80 students and 2 literate villagers, under a thatched shade. Robert established the Kopeyia Ghana School Fund (KGSF) in 1989. The team's first task was to build a permanent primary school in the village. Within a few months, Kopeyia used $1,000 in KGSF-raised funds, locally donated land, and community labor to build the walls for its first 5-room school building. The village used a thatched roof on the new building for three years until a permanent one could be constructed. Graduates of the Kopeyia Bloomfield Local Authority School now have an incredible variety of careers, and are based in many cities, towns, and villages around Ghana. Their occupations include: Director of a bio-medical lab, university professor, many teachers, some policemen, a car mechanic with his own shop in Accra, Ghana’s capital; a graphic designer with his own business in Accra, computer software engineers, journalist, nurse, investment advisor, accountants, musicians, pastors, caterers, seamstresses, hairdressers, and yes, farmers! Those who are doing well are now paying fees for the high school educations of their own younger brothers and sisters and for their own children.
Since 1988, KGSF has facilitated access to education for thousands of Kopeyia youths. The Kopeyia Bloomfield Local Authority School now provides pre-school through Junior High School (9th grade) curriculum. Generous donations from American supporters, notably author Ann M. Martin and her Foundation, have enabled significant improvements in the school's infrastructure. It now boasts four permanent buildings, including 18 classrooms, a computer center, the Ann M. Martin Library, a science lab, staff common room, and the head teacher's office. Additionally, two permanent buildings for Kindergarten and pre-school were constructed entirely by the Kopeyia community. Facilities such as a cafeteria, two water tanks, a soccer field, and a farming plot for agricultural science lessons enhance the learning environment. Extra-curricular activities include a Cultural Troupe, a Girls Club focusing on health and nutrition education, a Reading Club, and sports teams in soccer, volleyball, track and field, and netball. Furthermore, extra classes prepare senior students for their standard national final exams. In 1996, KGSF initiated scholarships for Kopeyia's top ninth-grade graduates to attend the region's premier high schools for grades 10-12. Over 250 Kopeyia residents have received scholarships since then, enabling them to complete high school and vocational education. Many scholarship recipients have pursued further studies at the university level with support from KGSF.
The great challenge for Kopeyia School graduates is to bring their businesses and careers back to the village or as close as possible. Wherever they go, Kopeyia graduates are productive citizens who embody the school's motto, coined by its first Headmaster, Frederick O.K. Mensah, "Brighten the corner where you are!" and the exhortation of the school's co-founder Godwin Agbeli, "Whatever you do, do it well!", from his school inauguration speech. They keep their alma mater in mind and are starting to donate funds back to the Kopeyia School Management Committee for maintaining the school's physical compound and supporting extra-curricular activities, especially the Cultural Troupe. The next collective goal of the Kopeyia community is to bring running water to homes, farms, and businesses in the village.