ABOUT GHANA, DZOGADZE, AND ME
I first went to Dzogadze in 1999 during my first visit to Ghana with my teacher Dzotefe Kwasi Dunyo. I was staying at his village named Dagbamete but one day we went to his mother's village which is Dzogadze. He wanted to show us the cultural groups that exist there. I still remember the bumpy and dusty drive there, a road I would walk many times over the course of my visits. That day I was astounded at the power of the music and dance of Ghana and especially the Ewe people (that is the ethnic group/"tribe" of this area). I immediately knew I wanted to spend more time in this place to absorb some of that power.
When I returned to Ghana in 2002, one of my goals was to spend time in Dzogadze which I did for 2 of my 5 months. During that time I met one of my best friends in Ghana, Ledzi Agudzemegah whom I lived with. He was my teacher and introduced me to many people, young and old, in Dzogadze and surrounding areas. He was my guide and source of solace while away from home and he is now one of the trustees of the foundation that we later created. Over the two months during that visit I forged many special relationships and learned a tremendous amount about the people, land, culture, music and myself. In some small way I hope I taught something to the people there as well, but not nearly as much as I had learnt from them.
When I was planning to return to Ghana in 2007, 5 years later, I had the idea in my head to try and help the village in some way. Already I had contributed some money towards the purchase of electricity poles to facilitate electricity coming to the village, but I knew I could do more. I mentioned the idea to Kevin Giles of All Hallow's School in North River (Newfoundland/Labrador), a school I had done some teaching at. He was supportive of any venture I conjured up. After returning to Ghana and visiting Dzogadze again, I made a meeting with some chiefs, elders and Ledzi (as translator and "youth representative"). I told them I am in a position to help the village and asked them what is needed most. After some discussion they said that another school block would be the thing most needed at this point as some classes are being held outside under trees or inside of the church. Also, if the village was to build a structure, the Government of Ghana would absorb the cost of paying the teachers for those classes.
With this info in hand, we decided to create the Dzogadze Education Development Foundation which is overseen by two chiefs (as President and Secretary) and Ledzi (as treasurer..he is the person I trust the most and is training to be an accountant as well). Why education? Money and materials come and go, but an education is one thing that will never leave you. Investing in education is a long-term benefit to a community, full of potential, sustainability and hope.
ACTIVITIES
Our initial activities were concerned with supplying consumable objects for school children, such as geometry sets, pens, pencisl, notebooks, and school uniforms. Many students could not afford these simple items and it prevented them from attending school (a uniform is mandatory). We also purchased hundreds of mosquito nets for nursing mothers and children. But our lasting activities took effect in the following ways:
IMPACT
Since the creation of the foundation, the village of Dzogadze has seen enormous changes, both from the efforts of our foundation and other projects spearheaded by the village itself, to which we have contributed. The impact of our activity on the community is profound. These impacts included:
I first went to Dzogadze in 1999 during my first visit to Ghana with my teacher Dzotefe Kwasi Dunyo. I was staying at his village named Dagbamete but one day we went to his mother's village which is Dzogadze. He wanted to show us the cultural groups that exist there. I still remember the bumpy and dusty drive there, a road I would walk many times over the course of my visits. That day I was astounded at the power of the music and dance of Ghana and especially the Ewe people (that is the ethnic group/"tribe" of this area). I immediately knew I wanted to spend more time in this place to absorb some of that power.
When I returned to Ghana in 2002, one of my goals was to spend time in Dzogadze which I did for 2 of my 5 months. During that time I met one of my best friends in Ghana, Ledzi Agudzemegah whom I lived with. He was my teacher and introduced me to many people, young and old, in Dzogadze and surrounding areas. He was my guide and source of solace while away from home and he is now one of the trustees of the foundation that we later created. Over the two months during that visit I forged many special relationships and learned a tremendous amount about the people, land, culture, music and myself. In some small way I hope I taught something to the people there as well, but not nearly as much as I had learnt from them.
When I was planning to return to Ghana in 2007, 5 years later, I had the idea in my head to try and help the village in some way. Already I had contributed some money towards the purchase of electricity poles to facilitate electricity coming to the village, but I knew I could do more. I mentioned the idea to Kevin Giles of All Hallow's School in North River (Newfoundland/Labrador), a school I had done some teaching at. He was supportive of any venture I conjured up. After returning to Ghana and visiting Dzogadze again, I made a meeting with some chiefs, elders and Ledzi (as translator and "youth representative"). I told them I am in a position to help the village and asked them what is needed most. After some discussion they said that another school block would be the thing most needed at this point as some classes are being held outside under trees or inside of the church. Also, if the village was to build a structure, the Government of Ghana would absorb the cost of paying the teachers for those classes.
With this info in hand, we decided to create the Dzogadze Education Development Foundation which is overseen by two chiefs (as President and Secretary) and Ledzi (as treasurer..he is the person I trust the most and is training to be an accountant as well). Why education? Money and materials come and go, but an education is one thing that will never leave you. Investing in education is a long-term benefit to a community, full of potential, sustainability and hope.
ACTIVITIES
Our initial activities were concerned with supplying consumable objects for school children, such as geometry sets, pens, pencisl, notebooks, and school uniforms. Many students could not afford these simple items and it prevented them from attending school (a uniform is mandatory). We also purchased hundreds of mosquito nets for nursing mothers and children. But our lasting activities took effect in the following ways:
- Construction of 3-room School Block: Our initial project was the construction of a 3-room school block to house kindergarten and primary classes. After fundraising for 2 years, the project was completed and opened (April 2009)
- Electrification of JSS: electricity only came to this village in early 2009. No other school building had electricity so we connected the JSS (Junior Secondary School) school building to the grid (May 2009)
- Creation of a Computer Lab: with some donated used laptops, we renovated one unused room of the JSS into secure and ventilated computer lab (Jan-March 2010)
- Water Reservoir Project: Dzogadze has no running water, all water is collected from a nearby dam, or through a hand pump. Over several years a project to construct a sustainable electric pump and reservoir system was enacted, to which the DEDF contributed (April 2011)
- Renovation of JSS Block: the JSS block of the village is 50+ years old and was in a state of disrepair, with the government failing to assist. We contributed nearly $2000CAD to a complete renovation including repairs to the foundation, a paint job (it was never painted before), installation of new windows (September 2011)
- Scholarship Program: after completing JSS (junior high school) in Dzogadze, students must travel to other larger towns if they wish to continue their education. They must also pay school fees. As such, a large number of students never continue their education as their families cannot afford the cost. Our program selects the two highest achieving students from each graduating year and pays their school fees while the family contributes the rest (started August 2012)
- Water Pump Repair: in early 2013, the pump for the water reservoir was damaged and the town was without funds to repair, forcing them to fetch less-than-clean water from a nearby dam. We contributed a substantial amount to repair this pump and also install further water taps at various places in the village (March 2013)
IMPACT
Since the creation of the foundation, the village of Dzogadze has seen enormous changes, both from the efforts of our foundation and other projects spearheaded by the village itself, to which we have contributed. The impact of our activity on the community is profound. These impacts included:
- a tangible sense of pride and confidence in the developments occurring
- the existence of a secure, safe, and reliable water supply, the importance of which cannot be overstated
- raising the standard of education of these rural students closer to that of their urban counterparts and investment in the future of the community and country as a whole
- economically, our projects have benefited skilled tradesmen and general labourers of the community whom we employ in our building projects.
- the creation of international networks of assistance and cultural exchange
- through our scholarship program we are giving students opportunities for higher education, previously inaccessible to many