Speaking via video at the Global Citizen Festival in New York City, CEO Spahn described how approximately 1,000 Peace Corps volunteers will work with host country partners to identify and implement strategies that contribute to climate priorities and national plans.

“Climate change disproportionally impacts the Global South, including many countries in which Peace Corps Volunteers serve. The world is at an inflection point when it comes to the climate emergency; it is now or never, and we are choosing now.” said CEO Spahn.

Volunteers and their host communities will work together to promote climate-smart agriculture practices, develop community tree nurseries, and increase climate literacy through environmental education.

Additionally, the Peace Corps will double the number of volunteers serving in Ghana to support climate, education, and health work in local communities.

Currently, the agency is recruiting volunteers to serve in over 50 countries around the world at the request of host country governments. Volunteers have already returned overseas in a total of 27 countries in Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.

The Peace Corps continues to monitor COVID-19 trends in all of its host countries and will continue to send volunteers to serve as conditions permit.

The Peace Corps is an international service network of volunteers, community members, host country partners, and staff who are driven by the agency’s mission of world peace and friendship.

At the invitation of governments around the world, Peace Corps volunteers work alongside community members on locally-prioritized projects in the areas of education, health, the environment, agriculture, community economic development, and youth development.

Through service, members of the Peace Corps network develop transferable skills and hone intercultural competencies that position them to be the next generation of global leaders.

Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 240,000 Americans have served in 142 countries worldwide.

For more information, visit peacecorps.gov and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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Eyes widened when the 31-year-old said they were free and bright faces lined up behind the vehicle.

Addo said he has two core missions, to reduce hunger and eliminate food waste. With food prices up an annual 30% in May, he is finding more and more people are turning to his food truck, including those with jobs and homes.

Inspired, Addo founded West Africa’s largest food bank, started a school feeding programme and organised bi-weekly food truck distributions in Accra’s poorer neighbourhoods.

Addo’s organisation, Food For All Africa, has distributed around 3 million meals since 2015. About 40% of ingredients are unsold stock from supermarkets, wholesalers and farmers that would otherwise end up in landfills.

Food For All’s predecessor organization, Chefs For Change, found in 2014 that more than 35% of Ghana’s food is wasted.

But more than 28% of people in Ghana, one of West Africa’s largest economies, cannot afford to spend more than $0.83 per day on food, according to 2016 government data.

That was before rampant inflation broke an 18-year record in May, marking a full year of quickening price growth the government is struggling to stem.

Source : reuters.com

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According to a Poverty Mapping Report released by the Ghana Statistical Service in May 2015, 76.9 percent of the people in the Kpandai District representing 82,712 persons were poor while 17.6 percent of the people in the Nanumba South District representing 30,569 persons were also poor.

The result is a negative impact on girls’ ability to progress in education and gain decent employment. Girls in the two districts have limited voice within the community, exacerbating these problems.

Subsistence agriculture is the mainstay of residents and many families struggle to meet basic needs, let alone invest in their children’s education.

The STAGE project
It is against this backdrop that the STAGE project was initiated. The project, which began in 2018 and will end in July 2022, is implemented by the Regional Advisory Information and Network System (RAINS), a non-governmental organization, in partnership and a consortium led by World Education Inc and funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.

The project consists of two tracks for marginalized girls – a formal track for girls aged 10-14, and a non-formal track for girls aged 15-19, who are transitioned into employment after six months of literacy, numeracy, and vocational skills.
A total of 554 girls have graduated from the first cohort and 701 girls of the second cohort are in advanced stages of their journey to literacy and employment.

A third and last cohort will feature a total of 682 girls to benefit from the project. In all, 1,937 girls will benefit from the project in 75 communities across the two districts.

Skills acquisition
Paulina Lanjado a resident of Montanaya, in the Nanumba South District of the Northern Region was 10 years when she dropped out of school.

At the time, she was in class four and was young when her mother died. Her father too has not been well. Surviving as a child and without any support, things became tough for Paulina as she struggled to make ends meet.
In the process, she became pregnant and now a mother of one at age 18. In 2020, she heard about a project, which sought to train young vulnerable girls in vocational skills.

She expressed interest in the training and was selected as a beneficiary.
As part of the training, she learned soap making for six months after which, in May 2021, she was given start-up kits such as quantities of chemicals for making bar soap and liquid soap, cutting boards for bar soap, and hydrometers to start making her soap to sell.

In June 2021, she put her newly acquired skills to practice and produced soap, which was well patronized by members of her community.

She told the Ghana News Agency that marked the beginning of a change in her life for the better. She said she was enjoying her new business, and planned to become a big player in soap production in her community within the next two years.
Another young lady, Pona Ngemabi, a 20-year-old mother of one from Knyinkpa in the Kpandai District of the Northern Region, did not go to school because of financial challenges.

Life was tough for her and her situation was compounded by the fact that she did not have any means of earning income.
Pona, just like Paulina, also heard about a vocational skills training project where some vulnerable females in her community were being selected as beneficiaries.

She joined and learned sandals making. After six months of undergoing intensive training, she was given start-up kits such as different kinds of beads, needles, sandals, and pliers in May 2021 to start her business as a sandals maker.
In June 2021, she made 10 sandals and sold them in her community. She said this marked a turning point in her life. Her plan now is to expand her business and own stores in the Kpandai Market to sell her sandals.

Paulina and Pona were not the only vulnerable girls in the Nanumba South and Kpandai Districts, who had had their life situations changed for the better.

A total of 554 others in the two districts were also trained in various vocations and given start-up kits to set up their businesses as part of a project dubbed: Strategic Approaches to Girls’ Education (STAGE), and they are making good use of their newly acquired skills.

The STAGE project so far
So far, a total of 554 girls in the two districts have undergone six months of accelerated learning on literacy and numeracy together with life skills training as first cohort beneficiaries and have been supported to transition into the world of work.

They were given start-up kits comprising assorted combs, assorted hair extensions, scissors, hair food (for hairdressers), different kinds of beads, needles, sandals, pliers, fishing lines (for beads makers), chemicals for making bar soap and liquid soap, cutting boards for bar soap, hydrometers amongst others (for soap producers) to start their businesses.

Also, a total of 701 girls being beneficiaries under the second cohort of the project have undergone various vocational skills training in the areas of soap production, sandals making, hairdressing, and beads making in the two districts to equip them with self-employable skills.

Testimonies from Key Stakeholders
Key STAGE stakeholders, at a recent engagement at Wulensi in the Nanumba South District, shared their observations and expectations of the STAGE project.

The engagement was aimed at bringing on board district level structures for sustainability even after the project’s lifespan in the two districts, discuss challenges on the field and solicit support for the project especially through ongoing interventions at the district assembly.

Challenges facing beneficiaries/project
For any good intervention, there are bound to be challenges and the STAGE project is not an exception. Few selected beneficiaries on the first track have dropped out.

This means they may not gain any opportunity again to acquire employable skills and it has been observed that some beneficiaries, who acquired vocational skills, sometimes find it difficult to get raw materials to practice their skills.
Raw materials used to produce soap and sandals are not readily available in shops in the two districts. Beneficiaries rely on people, who travel to city centers such as Tamale to buy such materials for them, and this sometimes takes a toll on their work.

The way forward
In this era of global competitiveness, without formal education, and sound vocational and technical skills, one cannot make ends meet, let alone be assertive in society.

Not only has the STAGE project come to secure the future of girls in the two districts, but also to break the barriers of marginalization against them.

There is a need for all stakeholders in the two districts and the country at large to support the project to succeed.
All the beneficiaries should see the project as their last hope and be serious about its approaches to transform their lives for the better. This way, the country will be on the right path to addressing violent-related issues and marginalization against girls by empowering them to take their rightful places in society.

Source: GNA

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The accolade was conferred on the veteran politician and astute lawmaker who has been in Parliament since the advent of the 4th Republic and has served virtually in all positions available in the House by the Millennium Excellence Foundation (MEF) at a Special Sitting of Parliament on Monday, July 26, 2021.

The Millennium Excellence Awards was established as a non-profit organization to celebrate successful enterprises in Africa by Ashim Morton, an Architect by profession and Entrepreneur who returned to Ghana after several years in the United States to give his quota to the development of his Nation.

As a witness to the constant negative outlook and poor governance stories coming out of the African Continent daily, Ashim Morton, the great-grandson of the Asantehene Otumfuo Prempeh I and son of Dr. Titus Aruna Morton, made it a decision to tell the successful enterprises and highlight individuals who were selflessly bringing about change in Ghana.

Now in their 20th year, the awards are organised by the Millennium Excellence Foundation to celebrate outstanding personalities championing key development initiatives in Leadership, Governance, and Entrepreneurship Africa
The Foundation focuses most of its resources in three key areas, Agriculture and Food Security, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene and Science, Innovation and Technology.

It aligns also its objectives with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to reduce poverty, ensure accountability in Governance in key areas of attention that will lead to sustainable growth and development for the citizens of Africa.

The Millennium Excellence Awards is hosted once every five years and recognize institutions and individuals for their contribution to national development and the ceremonies are privately funded by corporate bodies and individuals who believed in Ashim’s vision.

The 2021 edition of the Millennium Excellence Awards was held on July 17th, 2021 at a ceremony in the Manhyia Palace, Kumasi where over sixty distinguished personalities and corporate bodies were honoured.

In attendance was the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who was honoured with the Gold Award for his good leadership, national cohesion and political stability in Ghana while music maestro Kojo Antwi who was also awarded for his immense contribution to the music industry of Ghana entertained guests with some lively tunes throughout the night.

The Rt. Hon. Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin in his acceptance speech thanked the President, Board of Governors, and Advisory Technical team and programme managers for the honour bestowed on him promised to uphold the high tenets and principles of parliamentary democratic proceedings.

He stated that though a Speaker from the Opposition party in a hung Parliament, he will not frustrate the Executive arm of Government with which he has already established a healthy working relationship as well as the Judiciary.

His Royal Majesty, the Asantehene Nana Otumfuo Osei Tutu II is the Life Patron of the Foundation and together with the founder Ashim ensures the sustainability of its mission and goal to drive the principles of sustainable development in Ghana and Africa.

Former President Jerry John Rawlings and late Kofi Annan, a former United Nations Organisation Secretary-General were former recipients of the prestigious awards.

Source :Parliament Of Ghana

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Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams honored more than 80 “COVID heroes” with a ceremony Tuesday.

BROOKLYN, NY — Ghanaian Brooklyn Ambassador Jerry Kwabena said Ghanaian/African heritage Affairs committee embarked on   wear mask campaign, distributions of mask through public parks, door to door wear mask campaign and partnering with other organizations

According to Ambassador Kwabena Jerry, the group message is Hope over Fear, we reach up to subways, streets, funeral homes and homeless to put smiles on the faces of children, friends families in group homes.

These were just a few of the more than 80 Brooklynites who were honored Tuesday for helping the borough through the roughest moments of the coronavirus pandemic.

The heroes, Brooklyn Borough President Adams said, reflect the diversity of the borough, where 47 percent of residents speak a language other than English at home.

“I am very -proud to recognize the contributions of these heroes, whose generous efforts directly contributed to the safety and well-being of Brooklyn’s residents and institutions throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” Adams said. “At a time when so many are intent on dividing us, these people show us the power of unity, especially when navigating periods of crisis.”

Here’s a look at just some of those who were honored Tuesday:

• Randy Peers: The president of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, who launched the Brooklyn Recovery Fund.
• Ghanaian – American heritage Committee of Brooklyn NY, distribution of mask, PPE’S, door to door wear mask campaign, giving food stuffs,
• Javier Muñoz: A Broadway star from “Hamilton” and Brooklyn native who started an initiative called Broadway Relief Project, which gathered out-of-work costume and set designers to manufacture personal protective equipment.
• Chilis On Wheels: Delivers healthy plant-based groceries to those in need.
• Association of Nigerian Physicians: Helped with pre-government testing with patients mostly new to the United States.
• Federation of Indian Associations: Distributed more than 3,000 meals to first responders and 1,000 face shields made by children.
• Flatbush Food Coop: Provided healthy food and safety needs.
• IQRA Mosque: Did more than 150 burials in a five-week period, including retrieving bodies from homes and hospitals and reciting prayers.
• Just A Kid With A Dream Foundation: Held online women’s empowerment events providing diapers, baby supplies wipes and books to those in need.
• Winnie Greco: Helped gather more than 176,000 masks, 24,000 gloves, 943 sets of protective clothing and more for Brooklyn.
• Muslims Giving Back: Provided free halal food to insecure and homeless members of the community.
• Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement District: Provided food and essentials to NYCHA residents.
• Prospect Cleaning Services: Hired more than 50 people who were recently laid off to help with cleaning for the MTA.
• Foodtown: One of the first to offer express lanes for first responders.
• Yemeni Women’s Association: All-volunteer effort to help translate pertinent information from English to Arabic.
• Leah Pavlov: A 12-year-old girl who used her own money to pack lunches for health care workers.

  COVID 19 And The Need To Change Ghana’s Waste Management Systems.

  By Harry Sankofa, sept.22, 2020

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I would like to express thank you to frontliners both locally and globally. 

All the brouhaha made by social media and health experts encouraging people to wear gloves, face masks, use hand sanitizers and practice social distancing are important steps in stopping the spread of the virus.

Used syringes, needles, sharp objects, tissues and the test kits at the hospitals and local clinics make me question from an environmental point of view:

1. Where the hazardous waste generated from both the government and private hospitals goes to?

2. Who is collecting it? 

3. Is it being sent to an open landfill or a designated one?

Waste management in Ghana is seen as an out of sight, out of mind kind of thing. Some of the challenges facing the waste sector includes: 

1. Lack of enforcement of waste by-laws.

2. Lack of taxes concerning the management of waste.

3. Land acquisition for the management of waste as the current Kpone landfills site exceeds its capacity.

4. Lack of monitoring of the landfill sites (groundwater sampling)to determine contaminants, example leachate.

5. Lack of education for proper disposal of waste.

During the lockdown, the government of Ghana did its best to clean most parts of the cities and disinfect the market places and most public places.

What the government failed to do was to provide well labelled bins for people to toss their waste into. When the lockdown is lifted, this will be important to maintain the cleanliness the government started.

COVID 19 has really taught Ghanaians that waste is part of our culture, but doing it right and putting it where it belongs is a habit. Ghana’s poorly designed waste management systems has enlightened the citizenry of the need to start practising source separation programs (organic, garbage, recycling) for our non-hazardous waste and strict pragmatic policy to handle the hazardous waste generated from the hospitals/clinics.

Globally, there are standard policies for handling medical waste, as it could be corrosive, poisonous, explosive and flammable. In the case of COVID 19, it is highly transmittable and it needs special attention and handling.

It should be sent to a designated landfill (class A landfill) and not an open space landfill as for non-hazardous waste.

This is due to the possible resurgence of the virus.

This brings me back to the question: do we have the infrastructure to handle our hazardous waste?

Who is responsible for handling the health care waste?

Who handles the data? According to Robert Ohene Adu et al, 2020, on their research captioned “Medical Waste-Sorting And Management Practices in Five Hospitals in Ghana” identified that most of the hazardous waste generated from hospitals are mixed with non-hazardous waste and that can be infectious since no pretreatment is done.

Some too are incinerated which pose health risks to the surrounding communities.

Let’s go back to the waste collectors that come to our various homes to collect the waste (non-hazardous).

These collectors do have higher risk of being infected with the virus from  gloves, used tissues and face masks used by individuals from their various homes. The reason for this is that it is not source separated.

Instead, it is commingled waste (all the waste generated put together). This puts those at the dump site at risk (landfill areas).

Environmentalists are worried about the waste that could potentially build up from the over usage of disinfectants (plastics) as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect people around Ghana and the rest of the world, while health experts worry about the exposure to COVID 19 when handling the waste.

The way forward is for the government of Ghana to:

1. Constantly educate the public to place face masks , used tissues and used gloves in a bag before disposing them into the garbage stream. The World Health Organization (WHO) standard states that individuals should double their waste bag to prevent the spread of the virus.

2. Appoint a waste coordinator/officer for all government hospitals to track and manage the hazardous waste and non- hazardous waste.

The same applies to private hospitals. The waste officer will also undertake a waste audit and apply the waste management hierarchy to reduce waste generated. That can also aid in addressing the unemployment issues Ghana is facing.

3. Take into consideration the tonnes of hazardous waste materials generated during this pandemic.

4. Estimate to determine the long term landfilling for both hazardous and non-hazardous waste.

5. Ensure hazardous waste is sent to the designated landfills (class A landfills or assigned depot).

6. Communicate data to the public. The greatest challenge facing the waste management industry is data.

Without data, the general public will not be informed on the performance of waste policies that address the waste menace Ghana is facing in the long term. Without data, how can Ghana develop realistic goals?

7. Ban the importation of second hand clothing during this pandemic.

Most of the cargo bringing in second hand clothing is filled with rubbish – unclean clothes in bad shape, which ends up in the Ghanaian environment, becoming a burden for the country.  

The developed world is already struggling with  finding alternative ways to dispose of their textiles and used clothing. A good example is the COVID infested PPE identified in Ghana.

Penultimate, every citizenry must try their possible not to dispose of their protective equipment like the gloves or face masks in the environment as it can end up in our open gutters and clog our drainage systems.

As I mentioned in my previous article “what is the goal of waste management systems in Ghana”.

Let’s try hard to be a product of the environment and not the environment being a product of us.

By N. Adjei

A passionate environmentalist with experience in waste management planning, GHG and energy planning software, RetScreen International Expert.

He currently works for the Department of Solid Waste in the 4th largest City in North America  .

Currently he is developing a Business Plus Model that will be delivered to the Ministry of Energy to aid the energy crisis. It is his dream to see Ghana utilize 100% renewable energy.

Solar is doable, the time is right so is the price.

Also Read : What Is The Goal Of Waste Management Systems In Ghana?

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What Is The Goal Of Waste Management Systems In Ghana?

Waste management is one of the principal environmental challenges of our world today. There is, therefore, a need for innovative methods or recycling technologies that would enable us to effectively manage our waste. As the world is currently dealing with the evolving ton of plastic, let’s not forget to do our fair share by reducing our footprint on the environment.

Ghana is faced with numerous issues as a result of waste. These issues range from the hazardous (electronic waste, batteries, light bulbs, oil disposal) to the non-hazardous waste (organic waste, single-use plastic, construction/demolition waste, textiles, etc).

In Ghana, the “3Rs” (which is the reduce, reuse, recycle) is hard to implement due to financial constraints and competing for national development priorities making our environment not pristine.

Waste management specifically plastics has become the environmental boogeyman of our time especially with single-use plastic threatening our oceans, aquatic animals and water bodies, integrating into our food chain and production units. How do we close the loop in Ghana to prevent these single-use plastics like water bottles, straws, sachet plastic, grocery bags and even our used tires from ending up in our shared environment and landfills?

This brings us back to the question of what our goal is concerning waste management systems? Is it to maximize diversion by recycling, providing well labelled appropriate bins and minimize waste by creating awareness on the importance of recycling by distributing educational materials?

What about banning plastic or organising community environment days on single-use plastic/hazardous waste? Opening more landfills for continuous dumping of our waste without sorting will, in the long run, create leachate and contaminate our groundwater. Will we continue to view waste management as not a big problem in Ghana and ignore it?

Let’s take a look at our policy priorities at the local assemblies, it is uncommon to see a lofty diversion target set in the distant future for example 25% diversion by 2025 or 2030. These priorities/goals come with a cost, including education, rolling out a new program (collection of food waste), buying well-labeled bins, waste audits to understand the waste generated and creating more landfills or recycling centers.

Presently, Ghana is experiencing the effect of poorly designed waste management systems. For instance, single-use plastics end up in the environment, polluting and clogging up our drainage systems, contributing to flooding in the rainy seasons, breeding more mosquitoes and health-related problems. To achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UNSDG) eleven (11) which promotes the safe removal and management of waste within communities, waste management should be given priority in Ghana.

It is about time Ghanaians redefine the impossible and find possibilities in every act. To address the issues of waste management in Ghana, we need to:

1. Tackle the issue of behavioural change by changing people’s mindset to do the right thing when it comes to disposing of waste. As an example, waste education at school should be added to the basic school curriculum to teach the next generation about waste segregation. Supplying educational materials to the public to teach where each waste type belongs or creating a computer waste app for easy access to information.
2. Put in place infrastructure to handle the waste. An example is binned at designated places where people can toss their waste.
3. Create innovative methods or recycling technologies that would enable us effectively to manage our waste. For instance, investment in recycling plants will enable our recyclable waste to be captured and sold for profit to boost the economy.
4. Set up pragmatic policy (by-laws) to address single-use plastics/waste issues in our various communities and enforcement of the law. For instance, there should be fines for dumping waste inappropriately. All offices should practise the “3Rs”. All schools should have well-labelled bins to enable segregation.
5. Establish a depot. A depot refers to a licensed place that takes beverage containers (non-hazardous) or electronics (hazardous) from the public. These depots should be run by the government or private co-operatives that have contact information (website, location and reliable call centers). For example, Greater Accra should have at least 5 depots, Kumasi 3 depots to address our hazardous waste. We must take into consideration how the public drop off facilities can be enhanced for easy access.
6. Consider for the future of integrated waste management system planning by setting up strong policies. A policy to ban the importation of most electronic waste (e-waste) that isn’t energy-efficient and outdated would help. For example, is the case of Agbogbloshie – a place in Accra where most e-waste is burnt openly for scraps.
7. Build a waste-to-energy plant that will aid in addressing the waste problems and power debacle Ghana is facing (locally referred to as ‘dumsor’). This will reduce the strain on the national grid and ensure a reliable, efficient and effective power supply. We can also apply chemical recycling where we can generate fuel from the waste for our day to day activities like powering government fleet of vehicles or generators.

Let us not forget that information is a powerful tool and when people understand it, they tend to do the right things by putting waste where it belongs, or by reducing their consumption. Our health is our wealth!

By N. Adjei – A passionate environmentalist with experience in waste, GHG and energy planning software, RetScreen International Expert. He currently works for the 4^TH largest City in North America, Department of Solid Waste Division. Currently developing a Business Plus Model that will be delivered to the Ministry of Energy to aid the energy crisis. It is his phantasmagoria to see Ghana go 100% renewable energy. Solar is doable, the time is right so is the price. It is for the hoi polloi. Follow him on Instagram @EnvironmentalistNana.

Source : Modern Ghana

Read Also: Ghanaian disability worker supporting disabled people in Croydon,London nominated for Pride of Britain Awards.

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Augustina Osabutey raised funds to build boreholes in Adukrom, Ghana. She is a Ghanaian student studying for her Doctorate Degree at South Dakota State University.

She worked on providing clean and safe water for Adukrom community, a suburb of Axim located in Western Region part of Ghana.

A community of about 1000 people who had no access to clean water.

A fundraising was organized by Osabutey and a group of locals in Butte, Montana.

And online on GoFundMe to raise funds for the construction of two boreholes for Adukrom community.

This couldn’t have been possible without the support of Butte, Montana community, her family in Ghana, Mr. Samuel Adumuah of African World Airlines, and Mr. Theophilus Anaman of Ghana Youth Authority.

Osabutey, was born and raised in the coastal town of Axim in Ghana’s Western Region.

Like most girls in Axim, Osabutey had to walk several hours each day toting large buckets,.

Which she’d fill with water from a well and haul back to her family home.

“Sometimes we would walk like 1 mile to go fetch water, and we’d carry it on our heads,” she said.

“It’s really, really difficult walking long distances to fetch water from these places. And then also, the water is not clean.”

Though there appears to be an abundance of water sources in Ghana, many small towns in the tropical country still don’t have access to clean water.

Osabutey said her younger sisters, Adelaide and Fidelia, have been trying to help the Adukrom community get clean water as part of a project they pitched for a LifeLink Model United Nations program.

The program allows Ghanaian teens to identify social and humanitarian challenges in their local communities and pitch ideas to address them.

Students with winning project ideas would then receive funding, mentorship, and the opportunity to carry out their projects. When Adelaide and Fidelia’s project did not get selected for funding, they turned to their older sister for help.

The two sisters sent Osabutey videos they produced depicting the dilapidated well.

“I was shocked, I tell you. I was shocked that people are still having these issues because I thought by now the government should be able to do something about clean water for people,” said Osabutey.

“But no, it’s not done.”

After watching the videos her sisters sent, Osabutey said she couldn’t stop thinking about the water situation in Adukrom.

“I just couldn’t let myself go without doing anything about it,” she said. “This is what inspired me to start making a difference to the critical need for water and sanitation.”

Source : mtstandard.com

READ ALSO : don moen cuts sod for a 90k school project in-ghana

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Popular American Gospel singer, Don Moen, through his charity, is putting up an eight classroom school building in Ghana.

The school is for the children of Royal Seed Home at Ofaankor in Accra.

“Since relocating to a sustainable country farm with wide-open fields for play, gardening and raising pigs and chickens, the children of Royal Seed Home have had to endure a very difficult commute to and from school.”

“The children often miss school for lack of reliable transportation or due to heavy rains that frequently wash out dirt roads leading to and from school. The best solution for these challenges is to build a new school for them right where they live,” the charity wrote on their site.

Don Moen cut the sod for the project which is estimated to cost $90,000 on February 25. The singer has been able to raise $25,000 so far for the project.

“Had an amazing groundbreaking ceremony near Ofaakor, Ghana – the site of the brand new Royal Seed School that so many in Ghana (Don Moen & Friends) the United States, and all over the world have made possible.

“Visit WorshipInAction.org to learn more and THANK YOU to all my partners. God Bless!,” he wrote in an Instagram post.

Source : Myjoyonline.com

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Carter G. Woodson worked tirelessly to promote the accomplishments of African Americans. He was determined to counter racist stereotypes.

In the early 20th century, historian Carter G. Woodson chafed at the world’s silence on black achievement. In a racist society that mischaracterized black people and overlooked their contributions, he worked tirelessly to tell the world about their rich history. In doing so, he created a legacy of his own: Woodson is the reason the United States celebrates Black History Month each February.

The son of formerly enslaved parents who could not read, Woodson had struggled to obtain an education. Born in Virginia, he labored on a family farm and in West Virginia coal mines throughout his youth and only received sporadic schooling. Though it took him until his twenties to attend high school, he went on to study abroad and earn a doctorate in history from Harvard University.

Over time, Woodson became convinced that the world needed a better understanding of black people’s contributions to society to counter racist misperceptions about their abilities and aspirations. “The Negro has not been educated,” he wrote. “He has merely been informed about other things which he is not permitted to do.”

Source : nationalgeographic

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