Our Work in Ghana: Changing One Life at a Time
In just one month, the International Black Women Public Policy Institute (IBWPPI) has already made considerable progress in laying the groundwork for our long-term engagement in Ghana. We explored new community partnerships, visited schools, medical facilities, conducted assessments of local needs and hosted conversations with residents of villages.
We were excited to be hosted by IBWPPI Director Dawn Sutherland, Founder of Bridge-To-Africa Connection, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. During our trip to Ghana, we started work on projects that involved increasing access to health care and education, promoting hygiene, and creating spaces for female empowerment.
Our Impact at a Glance
HEALTH
IBWPPI has entered an agreement with a new medical clinic founded by Director Sutherland in the Feyiase village, the only local medical facility where mothers can give birth in a safe and secure space. Our organization will adopt the birthing room by providing furniture, hygiene kits, birthing kits and two barrels of supplies donated by our partner MedShare.
FEMALE EMPOWERMENT
IBWPPI convened fifty women for a new women’s empowerment group in Bunuso Village. We supplied them with hygiene kits and will continue to send gifts for their group convenings. The group selected three co-leaders to organize regular meetings.
Their first action item is promoting hygiene and establishing the village’s first public restroom. IBWPPI will donate a toilet to assist the group’s efforts in preventing the spread of harmful diseases.
EDUCATION
IBWPPI has committed to donating funds to go towards books, supplies, uniforms and meals for children in primary schools. Learn more about our childhood literacy work below.
Empowering Ghanian Children Through Literacy
Young people are at the center of the work that we do as we aim to ensure all children have access to a quality education.
While visiting Kumasi, Ghana, President Perkins and Vice President Adams Seay met twelve girls who were previously either failing or not attending school at all. The girls have experienced personal transformation after Director Sutherland went beyond the call of duty and invited the girls to her home for weekly meals, provided them with school supplies and connected them with a tutor and mentor. The group is affectionately known as the “Sunday Morning Girls” as they have met in her home every Sunday for the last few years. It’s with this type of compassion, that we want to continue to empower our young people.
Please see a snapshot of our educational activities :
- PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR EDUCATORS – President Barbara Perkins, an experienced executive coach, led a group coaching session with educators at a State Experimental Basic 1 School in Kumasi. IBWPPI has also committed to supplying the school with two computers, student uniforms and books for their library.
- PROMOTING HYGIENE IN SCHOOLS – Board members of IBWPPI attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the Khloe Living Waters Toilet Facility and learned that the school secured water basins so students can regularly wash their hands, which will help prevent the spread of deadly diseases.
- READING ROOM INITIATIVE – For our ongoing Reading Room initiative, we have earmarked funds for a school in the village of Mampong Bunuso. IBWPPI’s donated funds will go towards providing breakfast for 600 children, school supplies, school fees, uniforms and other areas of need. We will also provide a monetary donation for students at an elementary and junior high school that will go towards new books for their library.
Update on Our Hurricane Dorian Response
Thank you to those who have donated money, boots and emergency items for our hygiene kits. We have begun to ship items to the Bahamas. While the hurricane season continues and fear of more devastation looms, IBWPPI is focused on a one-year plan to provide assistance to 200 families impacted by Hurricane Dorian.
We are identifying the 200 families who were evacuated and are living in temporary relocation housing via a needs assessment . These families have immediate needs as many lost a majority of their belongings if not everything. There has not been a decision made for the survivors about whether or not they could return to their homes. We want to provide assistance to them during this relocation phase and then work on long-term restoration efforts.
Please consider donating to our relief fund so we can continue to provide ongoing support to families through 2020. T oday, we have secured enough funding to give 80 families $500 cash stipends (USD). These much needed funds have been greatly appreciated by the families and we thank our donors. Please continue to help us by continuing to give to this effort.
Membership Spotlight
Ingrid Johnson
Thank you to IBWPPI member Ingrid Johnson for her major efforts and contributions to IBWPPI Boots on the Ground Initiative-Bahamas Hurricane Dorian Response. She has secured over $11,000 USD from Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Council of African American Parents and other associates in her personal network by sharing our GoFundMe campaign. We thank you Ingrid and appreciate your service to the people of the Bahamas. We value your membership and your contributions to the work of IBWPPI.
