Education is the only way to end inequality and injustice as well as further hope for a better world. Not only is it a fundamental human right, it enhances lives and will end generational cycles of poverty and disease. Presently, society’s deeply rooted inequalities condemn millions of children in Africa-particularly girls-to a life without quality education and missed opportunities.
My focus is the education of girls because in many parts of Africa they do not have equal opportunities to obtain an education. I am aware of the need to educate girls and support rural schools in Africa because I originated from rural Ghana, where I attended primary and secondary school. For example, not one of the girls in my [Sandema] High School graduating class of 1989 made it to university and many others dropped out of High school, even though they were smarter than I was. The main cause of this was and still is the lack of financial support and the unavailability of educational supplies. It was not right then and it is right now, a reason why I have vowed to right this wrong, personally and in partnership with those who care about equality and fairness. Remembering the smart girls in my 1989 class who did not make, knowing how far along I made it because my mother got an education as well as my conviction that the key to a just, peaceful and productive Africa is its women precipitated the founding of Direct Assistance Network as my way to give back what I got from my mother. I strong believe that to help Africa, girls must be educated.
I started this effort by hosting a fund raising dinner on November 28, 2009 in Vancouver, Canada. Donations were collected that evening to initiate a scholarship for deserving girls. The scholarship has now been set up at my old high school in Ghana to provide $100 per year to ten girls. The target is to increase this support to 100 girls per year in ten schools, and the ultimate goal is to support 1000 girls in three years in ten schools, if more funds can be obtained.
I have the support of the members of Parliament for Bulsa North and South, Hon. Timothy Ataboadey and Hon. Alhassan Azong, and the District Directorate of Education in Bulsa District, which has assigned a "Girl Child" education officer to work with us. Our partners and beneficiaries in Ghana so far include; Sandema Senior High Technical School, Sandema High School, Radio Bulsa FM and URA FM.
The first scholarship has been set up in Sandema Secondary Technical High School, the Secondary School I attended in the Bulsa District of Ghana. I collected donations of $1000 USD to start the fund, and its objectives are to:
a. Provide direct scholarships of $100 each per year to 100 impoverished rural girls in ten schools in northern Ghana [$100x100=$10,000].
b. Provide educational materials and supplies, such as computers, books and school bags to the deserving girls and their schools [$10,000].
Your support, partnership or sponsorship in an effort to provide and improve educational opportunities, especially for girls rural in Ghana, Africa, will be very special indeed. I am available for a meeting and will be happy to provide further information if needed.