Behind the Scenes with GHEI Documentary Film-maker

“Filming in Humbjire certainly stands out as one of the most rewarding experiences,” film-maker Fernando Sapelli recounts, “It was fulfilling to obtain people’s opinions about GHEI, further confirming the efficiency of its work.”

Born and raised in Brazil, Sapelli completed his degree in Film & Media Studies and Dramatic Arts at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Since then, he has worked in production companies like Leonardo diCaprio's Appian Way and Sony Pictures Television. In 2010, he embarked on the 7-month “People of Change” project which took him to 16 countries recording the work of select NGOs in 10-15 minute documentary-style films. Sapelli heard about GHEI while filming in South Africa and immediately agreed to include GHEI in the project: “I tried to focus on different types of NGOs. GHEI had projects assisting both education and health deficiencies, and [it] had a very specific manner of conducting [its] work. Few are the organizations who try to employ and train locally, as opposed to having an ongoing dependency on foreign expertise.” Sapelli filmed the GHEI documentary in May 2010, before returning to the US to edit and produce the film.

Sapelli is currently working with Oscar-nominated producer Hank Levine on a new documentary, entitled "Refugee Diaries," about people who are displaced because of their political or religious beliefs or their sexual orientation.

Reflecting on his time with GHEI, Sapelli recounts, “The people are what made it original. From GHEI's staff to their families, everyone was warmhearted and welcoming. We shared smiles, stories, moments. And those are the memories I've carried with me.”

Click here to watch the GHEI documentary.

For more information on Fernando Sapelli and his “People of Change” project, visit his website http://fernandosapelli.com/

--Natalie Rich, GHEI Communications Director

Share |

Student Learning Tour visits Cape Coast

"What do you call this water?" Sophia, a junior high student asked, pointing at the waves pounding the castle walls below. Like most of GHEI's students in the Youth Education Program, Sophia had never seen the ocean. On the balcony of Cape Coast Castle overlooking the Gulf of Guinea, 43 junior high students and 8 teachers stood wide-eyed and breathless at the site. It was the culmination of the day's excursion, which featured many firsts for both staff and students.

Every year, GHEI hosts a free excursion to expose students to the scenic and historical sites Ghana has to offer, sites they otherwise would never experience. This was the first year GHEI took students to Cape Coast, where they were treated to a canopy walk through the rainforest at Kakum National Park, a computer class at the prestigious Cape Coast University, a guided tour of the infamous Cape Coast slave castle, and their very first dip in the ocean's saltwater waves.

Check out the slideshow (Photos courtesy of Education Program Coordinator, Jennifer Artibello) for highlights of this memorable day. For more information on GHEI's Youth Education Program, click here.






--Natalie Rich, Communications Director

Share |

GHEI Documentary

Documentary film artist, Fernando Sapelli, visited Humjibre in the spring of 2010 in order to capture the essence of GHEI on film. Check out the final cut, featuring all your favorite folks from Humjibre--Clement, Happy, Sister Comfort, Aggie and MORE!

People of Change - Ghana Health and Education Initiative (GHEI) from Fernando Sapelli on Vimeo.

Share |