December 2021 |
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| End of Year Greeting From the PACE GhanaBoard of Directors Pace Ghana is so grateful to our supporters who make it possible for the work to continue. As we navigate the challenges of the last year and a half, we pause to thank the wonderful PG staff who continue to work under extraordinary circumstances to serve the people in their community. |
| PACE Ghana Works on Designs for Bompaso Community Center |
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| The Pace Ghana team has been busy designing a new community center to be built in the town of Bompaso. Bompaso is a community of 300 people who are mostly farmers and is located just outside of Worawora. There no electricity supply in Bompaso so Pace Ghana has been working with the community to develop a solar panel system to supply power to a new community center. Residents depend on kerosene and wood for their energy needs and walk several miles to charge their cell phones. Bompaso’s people are inspiring while facing the daily challenges living in poverty, they approach new opportunities with hard work and commitment. Pace Ghana staff interviewed community members to see what services they would want in a new community center and heard that a space for community gathering, health care and refrigeration were the top priorities. Additionally Pace Ghana would like to have a room dedicated as a mini-library and educational center for the community. Pace Ghana is currently working with Engineers Without Borders to complete the designs and getting quotes from local builders. The plan is to build the structure and then attach solar panels to the rooftop, which an organization called Twende Solar (https://twendesolar.org/) is helping design. |
| YEAR END DONATIONS HELP US FUNDRAISE TO BUILD A COMMUNITY CENTER IN BOMPASO $5,000 raised of $12,000 needed $25 buys two bags of cement (estimated 220 bags needed) $75 buys a window (estimated 12 needed) – guess off diagram below $125 buys a door (estimate 5 needed) – based on diagram below $250 buys a load of stone (estimated 3 needed) |
| PACE Ghana Introduces Author Yaa Gyasi in Syracuse |
 On November 9, Yaa Gyasi author of the highly acclaimed novel Homegoing, who was born in Ghana and raised in Alabama came to Syracuse to speak for the Friends of the Central Library. PACE Ghana Board Member Jackson Doe-Mensah (pictured right in photo) had the chance to introduce Gyasi at the event and he and Executive Director Kofi Addai (pictured left in photo) also had the opportunity to meet and talk with Gyasi after the speech. PACE Ghana felt fortunate to welcome the esteemed author to Syracuse and celebrated the spirit of cross-cultural connections that occur in Gyasi’s work and the speech that evening. |
| Worawora Community Library Below is a section of each newsletter we devote to updates on the Worawora Community library and profiles of the librarians and students who use it. |
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| Introducing PACE Ghana Librarians |
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| Could you tell us your name and how long have you worked for PACEGhana? My name is Grace Mensah. I have worked for PACE Ghana as a Librarian at the Okyeame Dankwa Memorial Community Library, Worawora for two years now.Tell us about your work at the libraryWork starts at 1:00pm and closes at 9:00 pm every weekday. At times, I come to work during the weekends when necessary. I clean up the place and make sure it is conducive for learning.I also attend to people who need help especially, helping kids with their assignments and I help beginners too. We have a variety of books; history books, religious studies books, text books etc for all subjects, dictionaries, love books, story books, books for kids and beginners, motivational books,etc.Who uses the library and how?The Okyeame Dankwa Memorial Community Library is opened to all manner of persons. For the old, young, students, workers, everybody uses it.What do you love about working for the library?l love being a Librarian at the Okyeame Dankwa Memorial Community Library, Worawora.Working here has helped me develop love for helping kids to learn reading and it gives me joy. |
| A Note From A Student in Worawora |
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| Suspension of Outreach Programs Due to COVID Pandemic |
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| Cultural immersion opportunities are transformative—both mind altering and life changing—for those who are served as well as for those who serve. In line with fulfilling the mission and objectives of PACE-Ghana, social service projects have been undertaken over the past 15 years. PACE-Ghana has developed outreach programs with a Baptist church in Syracuse, NY, with two Jesuit schools (Fordham University inNew York City and Le Moyne College in Syracuse), and with ProLiteracy, Unite for Site, and Africa Bound for the expressed purposes of promoting cultural understanding, economic growth, and community development.The cultural exchange programs regularly provided service learning and study abroad opportunities in Worawora and Bompaso in northeastern Ghana for more than 200 US students. During these years, Fordham students have worked to improve the education of children by building and renovating primary and secondary schools, promoting reading skills at the local library, and teaching computer literacy in the high school. They also constructed a wall for privacy and security around the region’s only hospital and assisted with the cultivation of a palm plantation for the high school. Le Moyne students enrolled in professional programs for undergraduate nursing, graduate Family Nurse Practitioner, and Physician Assistant education have provided direct care to patients at the hospital and conducted community health outreach clinics that included general physical assessment and eye screenings as well as the distribution of free medical supplies to hundreds of community members. In addition, PACE-Ghana collaborated with the First Baptist Church of Syracuse and partners to build a four-classroom middle school for the Worawora School District and Proliteracy interns have assisted with improving the literacy skills of the adults and children. Unfortunately, early in 2020 these volunteer activities were suspended due to worldwide travel restrictions enacted to curb the spread of COVID. This loss of direct and frequent connections between the Ghanaian and American people has clearly revealed how important cultural exchange is for everyone involved. Throughout the years, the relationships established, the cultural awareness gained, and the collaboration that has led to capacity-building have enriched the lives of all parties concerned. The suspension of PACE-Ghana’s outreach programs has resulted in a reciprocal loss of contributions shared between the citizens of both countries. We look forward with optimism and eager anticipation to resuming these exchange programs on a regular basis in the very near future when it is safe once again to come together for the benefit of our mutual growth and development. |
| PACE GHANA pghanainfo@gmail.com www.paceghana.org Our mailing address is:PACE-Ghana 2 Sherbrooke Circle Syracuse, NY 13214 |