On Tuesday, GHEI celebrated its 10th anniversary as an officially registered NGO in Ghana. GHEI began in 2001 when Diana Rickard, then a medical student in the U.S., partnered with Humjibre’s then assemblyman, Clement Donkor, to lead a new community organization. Now, with more than a decade of experience in our communities, GHEI has consistently demonstrated a commitment to local sustainable development.
Ghana Health and Education Initiative was created with the mission of building local capacity, and providing necessary resources and support to enable communities in Humjibre’s district to improve their children’s health, learning success and opportunities. While our mission and values have stayed the same, GHEI’s interventions have changed. Part of our success comes from the fact that our programs are constantly evolving; allowing us to focus on best meeting the changing needs of the community.
We believe in long-term investment and empowering local individuals: both the beneficiaries of our programs, and the staff who lead them. The vast majority of our staff is from the communities where we work. They understand the context - what the communities’ needs are and how to work successfully within the local culture. Their leadership and ability to transfer their skills to others means that eventually these communities will be self-sufficient in leading development.
For GHEI’s family of staff, the day was a cause for celebration. Each of our full-time staff members proudly contributed to a group donation: giving back to the organization. To include the community, we made two public announcements informing everybody of the milestone, the programs GHEI offers, and of course, thanking everyone for their support. There was a celebratory football match in the afternoon.
The match was against a local team of young men, World 11. An eclectic bunch of full-time staff, volunteer teachers, community health workers and some of our eldest YEP students came together to round out the GHEI team. While it was not a group that practices, teachers and students played side-by-side and GHEI easily came together to work as a strong team. After a tough match, the game ended in a draw 2-2.
Afterwards, we moved to the Lovers’ Inn for speeches and a commemorative drink. At this point, all of GHEI was present: current (and some past) full-time staff, volunteer teachers and community health workers. The Humjibre Chief and Queen Mother, and Soroano Chief even joined us. Clement began by thanking everyone for the sacrifices they had made for the organization, and their support over the years.
One of our largest supporters, Humjibre Chief Nana Kwadwo Twum II, spoke next. He stated that prior to GHEI’s existence, people in Humjibre were not interested in education in the way that they are now. English was not spoken as much, and students did not aspire to go to university. He acknowledged the amount of opportunity that GHEI has brought to the community, and closed by explaining that “when you wake up and hear the morning announcements, the cockerels and the early sounds of the village, it will be the whole community thanking GHEI for its’ efforts.”
Others in the community have echoed the Chief’s statements about behavioral change. They have observed a heightened interest in development and more people voluntarily taking steps to increase their own levels of health and education. Since GHEI’s establishment in Humjibre, long-term benefits are apparent; and they are not only coming directly from our programs, but also a community-led change in culture. This is the definition of sustainable development.
When I asked Clement about the meaning of this anniversary, he told me “They say that there is a certain river in Africa, that no matter how full it is, it can always grow.” GHEI has made great progress over the years, but for now, there is still much more for us to do.
Ghana Health and Education Initiative was created with the mission of building local capacity, and providing necessary resources and support to enable communities in Humjibre’s district to improve their children’s health, learning success and opportunities. While our mission and values have stayed the same, GHEI’s interventions have changed. Part of our success comes from the fact that our programs are constantly evolving; allowing us to focus on best meeting the changing needs of the community.
We believe in long-term investment and empowering local individuals: both the beneficiaries of our programs, and the staff who lead them. The vast majority of our staff is from the communities where we work. They understand the context - what the communities’ needs are and how to work successfully within the local culture. Their leadership and ability to transfer their skills to others means that eventually these communities will be self-sufficient in leading development.
For GHEI’s family of staff, the day was a cause for celebration. Each of our full-time staff members proudly contributed to a group donation: giving back to the organization. To include the community, we made two public announcements informing everybody of the milestone, the programs GHEI offers, and of course, thanking everyone for their support. There was a celebratory football match in the afternoon.
The match was against a local team of young men, World 11. An eclectic bunch of full-time staff, volunteer teachers, community health workers and some of our eldest YEP students came together to round out the GHEI team. While it was not a group that practices, teachers and students played side-by-side and GHEI easily came together to work as a strong team. After a tough match, the game ended in a draw 2-2. Afterwards, we moved to the Lovers’ Inn for speeches and a commemorative drink. At this point, all of GHEI was present: current (and some past) full-time staff, volunteer teachers and community health workers. The Humjibre Chief and Queen Mother, and Soroano Chief even joined us. Clement began by thanking everyone for the sacrifices they had made for the organization, and their support over the years.
One of our largest supporters, Humjibre Chief Nana Kwadwo Twum II, spoke next. He stated that prior to GHEI’s existence, people in Humjibre were not interested in education in the way that they are now. English was not spoken as much, and students did not aspire to go to university. He acknowledged the amount of opportunity that GHEI has brought to the community, and closed by explaining that “when you wake up and hear the morning announcements, the cockerels and the early sounds of the village, it will be the whole community thanking GHEI for its’ efforts.” Others in the community have echoed the Chief’s statements about behavioral change. They have observed a heightened interest in development and more people voluntarily taking steps to increase their own levels of health and education. Since GHEI’s establishment in Humjibre, long-term benefits are apparent; and they are not only coming directly from our programs, but also a community-led change in culture. This is the definition of sustainable development.
When I asked Clement about the meaning of this anniversary, he told me “They say that there is a certain river in Africa, that no matter how full it is, it can always grow.” GHEI has made great progress over the years, but for now, there is still much more for us to do.
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