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It started with six schools

In 2007, The National Spelling Bee launched with just six schools and a big idea: that Ghanaian children deserved a seat at one of the world’s most famous spelling competitions.

2007The Bee begins

6Founding schools

19Years at Scripps

Maria Isabel Kubabom, Ghana's first champion

1stAfrican at Scripps

Maria Isabel Kubabom, our first champion, at the 80th Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Ghana kept showing up

That year, Maria Isabel Kubabom, a student at SOS Herman Gmeiner School in Tema, won. She travelled to Washington, DC for the 80th Scripps National Spelling Bee and became the first African ever to compete.

Ghana kept showing up. Nineteen editions later, we’re proud to say our champions have been to Scripps again and again.

What we believe

Learning should go beyond the classroom

The Bee sits alongside school, not in place of it. It’s where a child can practise, compete and be curious without a grade at stake.

Children learn best when they’re leading

We guide. They drive. Young people today are surrounded by information and need help making sense of it, not more instructions.

Spelling is a doorway

Behind every correct spelling is a child who has learned to focus, to speak up and to keep going when a word gets hard.

What the Bee teaches

Confidence

Public speaking

Vocabulary

Critical thinking

The people behind it: Young Educators Foundation

The Bee is run by the Young Educators Foundation (YEF), a registered Ghanaian non-governmental organisation and educational consultancy.

YEF works to build literacy among young people aged 8 to 18, and trains teachers in spelling and reading. Our mission is simple: take the struggle out of literacy, through programmes that sit alongside the classroom.

What YEF focuses on

Education consultancy
Literacy-building activities
Public speaking training and engagement
Promotion of languages

YEF programmes

The National Spelling Bee
The Young Debaters

The people behind the Bee

We’re a small team with a big list of words. Say hello.

Eugenia Tachie-Menson

Director

Bio coming soon.

Jessie Ghartey

Programmes Coordinator

Bio coming soon.

Want to work with us?

Coaching, volunteering and school partnerships all start with a message. Write to info@yefoundationgh.org.

Thank you

A child walks onto a stage in Accra and, months later, a national champion walks into Washington, DC. A lot of people made that journey possible. These are some of them.