On June 1st, Mike Owusu (our Project Coordinator) and Lisa Parsons met with Tammy Merrill of Orbis Africa to discuss the possibility of working together in the future to bring eye care to disadvantaged children in the Ashanti Region.

Tammy Merrill meeting with Lisa and Mike

Light for Children welcomed five students from GlobeMed at Spelman College. The partnership with this organization was established in the fall of 2013 to promote health education in the Ashanti region of Ghana. This summer, the students conducted sexual abuse workshops in primary schools in the Kumasi area. The workshop provides the children with resources so that they are equipped to counteract the problem of child sexual abuse.

GlobeMed volunteers conducting workshops at a local school

Students will return to their home institution to fundraise to allow for the continuation of such initiatives.

Bracelets made from Ghanaian beads are part of the fundraising initiative

We were also joined by three British volunteers during this period, Rosie Clayton, Jade Boakye and Precious Boakye. Rosie joined the US volunteers in their programs at the schools.

Rosie assisting at a school program

Rosie, Precious and Jade also volunteered in the Education Center Library, running programs for children with Lisa Parsons.

Rosie helps a child with his reading

Precious reading with the children at the Education Center library

The children teach Jade ampe, a Ghanaian clapping game. They still want to know when Jade is coming back!

Jade and Precious with Light for Children staff

During this month, Mike Owusu (our Project coordinator) and Yaw Otchere (our Executive Director) attended an executive meeting of the Coalition of NGOs in Health. They serve as the Treasurer and the Secretary of the Coalition respectively. The agenda included discussions around Ebola, childhood obesity, and type II diabetes.

Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health, Executive meeting

In June, 17 students from Beyond the Pivot (BTP), a Hong Kong based organization, came to volunteer in Ghana.

BTP volunteers at the cultural orientation

The students constructed environmentally sustainable toilets for rural basic schools. These students come every summer to build these toilets and continue to impact communities in the Ashanti region. This year the volunteers also taught in a school for part of their stay.

BTP volunteers with the finished toilets, and the school children who will benefit from them