This is the sort of positive energy that inspires great things….and I think that you will do it. Please follow up with any Rotarian contacts that you have because they are involved in many great projects around the world.

And stay in touch with this Blog. ONE is an AWESOME organization!

Living Positively, debbie
http://www.mpwn-uganda.org

Several occasions and insights have changed not only my attitude towards the poor but many others on our team. The streets teaming with vendors – mainly women- carrying their goods on their heads in the capital of Accra was our introduction to our epiphany. But as we traveled further north the people were fewer, poorer and yet amazingly happier. Our hearts and minds will always carry the images of the beautiful smiles of all the young and old Ghanaians we encountered. We touched the leper and AIDS patient at a free clinic in Tamale, we saw the heroic work of providing food and education of Catholic Relief Services throughout the country, we experienced the women’s entreprenurial projects sponsored by Peace Corps members and local women, we were amazed by the people’s giving nature though they have so little themselves, but we also were shocked and embarrassed by the visit to Elmina Castle where millions of potential slaves were processed for their voyage to the New World.

Several consuming issues still rest heavy in our hearts – the loss of $12.5 million of funding for food from USAID this year, the unavailability of clean water for the people, and the inequity of education opportunities for girls and women. Our parish team is continuing our attention and help in these areas. We are in constant dialogue with the church in Wa. Our local children are beginning writing projects to share their lives and friendship with the children of Ghana. We continue to send video and internet communications between the two countries – we donated and left AV equipment in Ghana to facilitate our friendship and collaboration. We are cooperating to assist each other in our needs – theirs temporal, ours spiritual.

We are working hard to sponsor projects to give education opportunities to children – individually we are supporting children and youth by providing funds for their schooling. We are persistent in bringing the women’s equality issues into our dialogues – we have offered to sponsor a girls’ school. We are continuing to research the acquisition of bore holes to provide the very necessary clean water for the villagers. And we are sending and will continue to send books and household and hygiene products by filling shipping containers being donated by parishioners.

One idea I received from a fellow Rotarian that has promise is to develop clean water bore holes at girls’ school sites. The job of the girls and women is to travel distances to obtain the family’s water and carry it on their heads to their homes If the water sources are at the school sites, they can attend school in the day and carry the water to their homes when they return there. The loss of USAID for food is more daunting to us. We are continuing to research government sponsored programs and increasing our financial support of CRS. Education of the children is very dependent on the availability of meals at the school sites – it is the incentive for the youth to continue to attend school, it may be the only meal they have that day. We heard that story from our CRS guide that he, an orphan, would never had an opportunity to be educated had it not been for the meals he received at school. Today he travels the United States for CRS to get support for programs for the people in Ghana. He received a Master’s degree from an American college at great personal expense but is using it to give back to his people.

Ghana is making great progress but still needs our help as many other countries of the world do. Given the opportunity to visit such a country, do it – it will change lives, maybe your’s.