Letters from the Community: Giving Thanks

At GHEI, we are incredibly thankful for all of the support we receive. However, only hearing “thanks” from us is far from the full story. We are blessed to have strong ties to our communities. We interact with community members every day and we work with local leaders to offer the programs that people here really need.

GHEI staff members are often approached and thanked for the work that we do. Sometimes this comes in the form of letters that start with phrases like “The Head master and the entire teaching staff of the newly established Humjibre D/A J.H.S. wish to thank GHEI….” and “On behalf of the staff and the entire pupils of [Humjibre Anglican Primary] school, I wish to express my sincere thanks to you and your staff….” We pass these letters around the office with pride. Now, we want to share some of them with you. 

Retreat and the AGM

The only office of Ghana Health and Educative Initiative is at the GHEI compound in Humjibre, Western, Ghana. We take pride in the fact that all of our operations are based in and intended for the local community. However, GHEI is well supported by staff and volunteers worldwide. Once a year, our Executive Director, Diana Rickard, and a few others travel to join the Humjibre staff for the GHEI Annual Leadership Retreat. 

GHEI staff Knowledge Race at Lagoon Lodge

This year, Diana was accompanied by Lara Sisel, who spent a year in Humjibre contributing to GHEI’s founding in 2004, and GHEI’s two UCLA Medical Scholars, Sarah Gustafson and Emily Huang. Their presence offered a deeply-rooted perspective, helping to lead GHEI moving forward.

The retreat took place at the Lagoon Lodge in the scenic coastal town of Winneba. With its delicious food and lack of distractions, the lodge was a wonderful setting. The staff came together and discussed their efforts throughout the year: accounting for successes and facing challenges.

In the weeks beforehand, everyone had been extremely busy preparing presentations, discussions and new proposals. Just like with other GHEI programs, when retreat began, the hardest part was over and the event went smoothly.

After a surprisingly popular teambuilding exercise, we had a group presentation updating everyone on our general programs. Each staff member was given the opportunity to present, and some even took advantage of all the magnificent textures and gradients that PowerPoint has to offer. Everyone spoke comfortably and confidently, setting the tone for conversations that engaged the whole staff throughout the next few days.

The final afternoon brought some much appreciated free time to explore Winneba and enjoy the beach. The staff was exhausted, but refreshed, bonded, and motivated with a new sense of purpose. Decisions had been made, and GHEI was set with a guide for the next year.

Clement introducing our international guests at the AGM.
From left to right: Diana Rickard, Lara Sisel, Sarah Gustafson, Emily Huang

Afterwards, everyone traveled back to Humjibre for the GHEI Annual General Meeting. The Community Center was packed for the event with more than 500 people. The staff breezed through a well-practiced presentation of GHEI’s programs, then opened the floor for questions. Many people spoke up with inquiries and concerns. Even the Chief of Humjibre, Nana Kwadwo Twum II, spoke in support of GHEI: sharing his experience working with us and coming to understand the reasoning guiding GHEI’s priorities. 


Early the next morning it was time to say farewell to Diana, Sarah, Emily and Lara. With a renewed vision and strengthened plans we returned to our normal routine after a busy few weeks.

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The Power of Education

The following is a guest post written by our literacy intern this summer, Dan Doverspike. Dan spent two weeks in Humjibre assisting in the planning and implementation of the 2nd Annual Quiz Competition and Soroano Book Box Project (Part 1, Part 2). Dan also wrote a personal blog on his time in Humjibre, which you can access here.

I had two main purposes while in Ghana: the first was to help GHEI in any way possible and the second was to learn as much as possible. But, I knew I wanted to make a lasting difference during my short time in Ghana. Before I ever stepped foot in Ghana I had thought about how to best make a lasting difference in such a short period of time. Once I arrived in Ghana, specifically in Humjibre, I had conversations with a variety of people as to how I could best achieve this goal.

The answers I received varied. I heard that just by being there makes a difference. I heard that by working with GHEI achieve its goals makes a difference. I heard that by simply playing with children on a day-to-day basis makes a big enough difference because it is unlikely the children receive that attention and interaction elsewhere. I heard that my knowledge of education and different teaching strategies makes a difference. Even after doing all of the above, I still hadn’t thought that my contributions in Humjibre would be everlasting.

In fact, I still don’t think my presence in Humjibre is everlasting. However, I do know that I found my purpose in being there, in GHEI’s presence in the community, and in education. See, although I am a teacher, I was oftentimes conflicted while in Humjibre because who are we to encourage a community to learn about education and health if they can be happy without our presence? Before going to Humjibre, it was important to me that there was a local, in-country staff that was comprised of community members. I never wanted to be part of a crew of white people in a foreign land trying to sell a product, whether that product was education, religion, or lip balm.

I’m a purpose-driven person. I need a purpose to be motivated and invested. By finding this purpose, I can continue to work towards making an everlasting difference in Humjibre and elsewhere. By working with GHEI, I was able to work with many children who were hungry to learn. These children have dreams. And they needed (and still need) avenues to reach these dreams.

This is the true power of education. This is GHEI’s purpose and this is my purpose. I want to help all people obtain access to a quality education. Education is the one thing in life that can help people achieve their dreams. True, sports do that for some. True, music does that for others. There are other avenues to achieve your dreams. But for the overwhelming majority of people, education is a necessity in order to achieve dreams. With an education, you have hope. Without hope, what is there to live for?

Remember: It doesn’t always matter what dreams you chase in life, what matters is that you have the chance to dream.

GHEI is now accepting applications for our 2014 Summer Serve and Learn volunteer programs. Check out our website www.ghei.org/volunteers to learn more and don't forget to help spread the word!

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