Adangabey brightens rural kids’ future from his wheelchair

At just 32 years old, Yaw Rockson Adangabey is redefining what it means to serve with purpose.
Born with Cerebral Palsy, a condition that impairs movement and muscle coordination, Adangabey could have easily become another statistic in the margins of society.
But instead, he chose a path few would dare walk—founding a school in one of Ghana’s most underserved districts.
From his modest wheelchair, often pushed by others due to its poor condition, Adangabey stands tall—not in stature, but in courage, compassion, and conviction.

Changing lives through education
Adangabey sees it as his calling to help provide better and quality education for children in rural communities and to be a source of motivation to the less privileged.
Being a person with Cerebral Palsy who has overcome numerous barriers to attain a high level of formal education, he feels deeply hurt to see able-bodied children denied the opportunity to have a good start in life through education.
This passion moved him to establish a preparatory school in his hometown, Kadema, a small village in the Builsa North District of the Upper East Region.
He later learnt about a rural town, Gbedema, which had only one government school serving the entire Builsa South District.
The government school only admits children aged five and above.
He therefore decided to establish Adangabey Royal International School to serve school-going children as young as two years old.

A vision turned reality: Building foundations early
Adangabey Royal International School is the first-ever private school in the Builsa South communities, aimed at encouraging parents to enroll their children in school at an early age.
His goal is to build a strong early foundation for the children.
Currently, the school operates from a rented two-bedroom house, with classes starting from nursery, kindergarten, and Primary 1 to 4.

GH₵120 or less school fees
Parents pay fees of GH₵120 or less, with a flexible payment structure tailored to each parent, ensuring that children are not sent away due to nonpayment of fees.
So far, the school has provided education for about 160 children, and Adangabey hopes to extend the same opportunity to other poor children in faraway communities to give them hope for the future.
“I feel very happy and fulfilled knowing that I have made it possible for the children to attend school, which is an opportunity for them to grow into responsible citizens who would someday give back to their communities,” he stressed.

Challenges on the journey
Despite his success, the school faces several challenges:
Inadequate funding makes it difficult to engage qualified teachers and operate in a proper school environment.
The school’s infrastructure is below standard compared to schools in larger towns and cities.
There is a lack of teaching and learning materials, which affects the quality of education.
Adangabey also uses his meager resources to feed some children from very poor backgrounds.

A lack of cooperation from some parents, coupled with his inability to walk and dependence on others to push his poorly functioning wheelchair, adds to his daily struggles.
Nevertheless, Adangabey’s vision remains unwavering.
He hopes to expand the school to locate and provide free education to physically challenged children, and to establish more schools in deprived communities.
“Let me mention that I started a similar project in my home village in Kadema and have since handed it over to the community to manage. I still supervise it,” he said.

MTN Heroes of Change nomination
Impressed by Adangabey work, Sofia Ayaric, a retired lecturer from the Tamale Technical University, nominated him for Season 7 of MTN Heroes of Change.
“As a differently abled person from a very poor background, under normal circumstances in our community, Adangabey should have been on the street begging for alms,” she noted.
Sofia said she is inspired by how Adangabey braved all odds in the face of poverty to sacrifice his time, knowledge, and limited resources to provide education for the less privileged.
“It is this selfless dedication and the confidence he exhibits that inspired me to nominate him for this award, which I believe would go a long way to assist him in serving humanity,” she added.
She believes he deserves to be awarded because he refused to resign to fate due to his condition but chose instead to make a meaningful impact on his community.
“This selfless dedication deserves commendation, and I believe a little push would help him fulfill his passion for education,” Sofia said.
She also considers Adangabey an inspiration to the abled, differently abled, poor, and rich alike.
“His passion teaches me that we don’t need to have more than enough before we can impact the lives of people. I feel very challenged and motivated by his commitment,” she emphasized.

A Beacon of hope for the community
According to Sofia, Adangabey commands great respect and represents hope to parents and the community at large, dispelling the impression that persons with disabilities are irrelevant to society.
An elder of Gbedema, Eric Ayaric, described Adangabey as a dedicated and passionate person with empathy and a strong desire to help others, even in the face of his disability.
“He defies all odds to make an impact on society,” Eric stated.
“The school, the first of its kind in Gbedema, has helped to improve the quality of training and education, especially for kids.”
He noted that the school has impacted children holistically, and that Adangabey deserves to be awarded for his efforts.
“He’s been nothing but impactful in the Gbedema community. This is seen in the positive change in the attitude of kids attending his school,” Eric added.

Parents share their stories
Lamisi Ajutie, whose son Ransford attends the school, described Adangabey as a dedicated and passionate person who has the welfare of children at heart.
She noted that he perseveres to ensure the children get the best education possible and is confident that with the right support, his positive impact would spread even further.
“Before the nominee’s intervention, my son had no ambition or career goals. But through mentoring and guidance from Mr. Adangabey, he now wants to be a police officer. I’m happy he now has a dream,” she said.
Another parent, Eric Azungbiik, whose children Phidelia and Annie attend the school, said Adangabey is a great person who didn’t allow his disability to stop him.
“He has the ‘never say die’ spirit, and I love him for it. He is using the little he has to help our community.”
Azungbiik explained that before the school was established, there were no private schools in the area, and the only alternative was in Sandema, over 10km away, which was unaffordable for them as peasant farmers.
Thanks to Adangabey’s school, his children are now far ahead academically.
“Phidelia, now in Class Four, can do arithmetic and speak good English, while Annie, in KG, can recite the alphabet and count accurately. They are ahead of their peers in public school,” he added.

A true hero among us
In a society where many overlook the potential of people living with disabilities, Yaw Rockson Adangabey is a shining example of what it means to turn pain into purpose.
With very little, he is giving children in rural Ghana a future worth dreaming about—and for that, he deserves every bit of recognition and support the world can give.

The life story of Adangabey Yaw Rockson
Born on January 1, 1989 with a physical disability, Adangabey’s journey to education and empowerment was anything but ordinary.
Yet, from the very beginning, he was blessed with a family that saw him not as a burden, but as a gift.
His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Amoak, nurtured him with deep love and tireless support.
Despite the limitations of his condition, they never allowed him to feel less capable.
They taught him self-care and independence, preparing him to survive in a world that often neglects the disabled.
Their belief in him built the confidence he carries today.
In Kadema, where most families prioritised farming over education, Adangabey was one of the few children sent to school.

Basic education
He began kindergarten at Kadema Primary School, with his mother carrying him on her back every day.
As he grew older and heavier, and his mother aged, she could no longer carry him.
Refusing to give up his education, Adangabey began crawling to school—over half a kilometre each way, through scorching sun and rough terrain.
This continued until a group of missionaries discovered him one morning.
Moved by his determination, they arranged for him to join their orphanage in Sandema, where he continued his basic education.
He later completed Junior High School at Sandema Preparatory School in 2005 and gained admission to Notre Dame Senior High School.
Even as a student, Adangabey remained determined.

Secondary, tertiary education
He took and passed the NOV/DEC private exams before completing SHS and used those results to apply to the University of Cape Coast, where he studied Accounting from 2009 to 2013 under a government scholarship.
Today, Adangabey is not only a graduate but a mentor, teacher, and father figure to children in his community.
Though single, he hopes to marry and raise a family someday. For now, he dedicates himself to serving others, especially children with disabilities and those who lack care.
In the years ahead, Adangabey dreams of building a permanent school from nursery to senior high level, establishing an orphanage for the vulnerable, and launching awareness programs to help parents understand and support their children with special needs.
His life is a shining example of what resilience, love, and opportunity can achieve. His message is clear: disability is not inability.
He urges parents of disabled children to encourage and support them to discover and use their talents to benefit society.
Adangabey crawled to school, but he’s walking boldly into the future—determined to lift others as he rises.