Ghanaian actress and educational entrepreneur, Yvonne Nelson has disclosed that her daughter was the inspiration behind her decision to delve into education.
Yvonne recounted how her daughter would often come home with various problems, which caused her significant worry.
This concern ultimately led to the establishment of the Just Like Mama daycare.
“My daughter started school when she was one year 6 months old and it was actually daycare. She will come home with a bruise or an insect bite and you expect the school to call you to report it before she gets home but you the mother or parent will notice before the school says anything. That was like a minus and a red flag.
“And with the academics too, I wasn’t really getting anything from her from school. As a parent, you should see a change in their vocabulary, and the things they are saying. I watch everything my daughter does, I help her with reading and do flashcards for her.”
Yvonne Nelson
“I’m really into education so I got a little worried and I thought to myself this is something I can actually do and do well because I am a passionate human being,” she added.
The actress who recently inaugurated her Yvonne Nelson International School, an expansion of her educational venture, also indicated that parents of kids at the Just Like Mama inspired her to open up.
“We had a few parents who kept asking us that after kindergarten what’s next? I thought they were joking or something to make my head feel big and all of that but no they actually meant what they were saying. They wanted their kind to stay here so we had to register a primary school and make Yvonne Nelson International School happen.”
Yvonne Nelson
The celebrated actress, also known for her book ‘I am Not Yvonne Nelson,’ revealed that despite the challenges of balancing school management, acting, and producing, her experience in production has equipped her for this demanding phase of her career.
Yvonne Explains Struggles to Build School
Yvonne Nelson recounted the many challenges she faced while building her school.
According to the actress, her journey to build her school has been hectic and very challenging.
She explained that while building her schools, she ran out of funds but could not secure financial assistance or loans from the bank.
The actress noted the borrowing rate proposed by the banks on the loan she requested was baseless.
“Obviously, we just started primary and this is just phase one. We are going to continue and go higher. It is really crazy because, at some point, I am getting personal now.
“When we started the project, I had to sell my house because I went to the banks for a loan and the percentages were, look, it did not make sense.”
Yvonne Nelson
According to the educational entrepreneur, the money she had got finished to the extent that she dug into her savings.
“So, I had to fall back on a house and sold it. I had so many memories there but I said to myself, Yvonne, this is the only way, so I sold the house and started building.”
Yvonne Nelson
Despite the challenges she’s faced on the project, Yvonne Nelson stated that she remains unperturbed because, hopefully, the school is going to be impactful for the country.
“Regardless of all the challenges, my heart is in the school project, and I know we are going to go to lengths that will surprise us. I know that a lot of future leaders are going to come out of the school,” Yvonne Nelson said.
READ ALSO: Nationwide Teacher Unions’ Strike Looms Over Unpaid Allowances
