Lil Jon opens school in Ghana in honor of his late mother

Atlanta artist Lil Jon often talks about the value of education.

Now, the award-winning rapper and producer has put his influence behind helping children go to school in rural eastern Ghana.

He recently partnered with the nonprofit Pencils of Promise to open a school in Abomayaw in memory and honor of his mother, Carrie M. Smith.

Students in that community have been “taught in unfavorable learning conditions. Kindergarten students are learning in open pavilions with unfinished walls and dirt floors, and without formal doors or windows,” according to Pencils of Promise.

Lil Jon is known for hits like “Get Low” with the East Side Boyz, and “Yeah” with Usher and Ludacris. To help raise money, he asked friends and fans to donate to the project in lieu of birthdays gifts earlier this year.

The three-unit school also will have an ancillary office and washroom facilities. According to PoP’s website, the school will impact hundreds of students over the lifetime of the school.

In addition to the new kindergarten classrooms, repairs will be made and windows fitted to the primary students’ classrooms, providing the students with more light during class hours and better ventilation. The Abomayaw community committed to providing up to 20 percent of the labor and resources needed to complete construction.

Lil Jon is also helping build a second school in Ghana.

Pencils of Promise currently works in Ghana, Laos and Guatemala.

CONTRIBUTED Lil Jon, second from left, recently partnered with the nonprofit Pencils of Promise to open a school in Abomayaw.