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Penny Harvest Seattle
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Dr. William A. Ankobiah, Founder and Director
I was born in the Bekwai area of Ghana in West Africa as a member of the royal family. I have been in the United States for 24 years working as a doctor in Queens, New York. In 2002, the Queen Mother of the Bewkai people came to the United States and another person to organize people here in the United States to help people in Bekwai, my hometown. The two of us started by collecting books, computers, clothes, school supplies and medical supplies for people in need in Bewai. Then we started to collect donations to help more children go to school. We realized we could do so much more if we involved more people. That’s when we founded a non-profit organization in New York called the Bekwaiman Association of USA.
WHERE WE WORK Our programs are currently focused on students, teachers, schools and people of the Amansie District of Ghana, a country in West Africa. The town of Bekwai is the capital, which is surrounded by over 40 villages. The Amansie District has a population of about 300,000, which is only about one-third of the number of students there are in New York City.
WHO WE HELP Only half of the population in the entire country of Ghana can read and write. Many, many people don’t complete their schooling or attend school at all. In rural areas, like Bekwai, that are far away from cities, it is even harder for children to go to school because schools can be spread out or too far to reach. In Bekwai, the schools that do exist are too crowded. Besides the fact that there are not enough schools, many families don’t have enough money to send their children to high school in the first place. Public high school is not free in Ghana. Most families only earn about $2 per day. It costs between $100 and $300 per year to send one child to high school. That could be half of the family’s money for the whole year.
Some children don’t even have families because they lost their parents to HIV/AIDS or other serious illnesses. For others, their parents don’t have jobs and can’t earn money to send them to school. Some parents don’t believe in sending their children to school, especially if they are girls. They believe that children’s role is to help in the house or take care of their younger brothers and sisters.
So you can imagine why so many people cannot read and write.
OUR UNIQUE SOLUTION Because there are many reasons that children can’t go to school, the Bekwaiman Association has a few different programs: • Scholarships to send students to high school. The scholarship covers the school fee, books, clothing and school-related needs. Students that receive the scholarship are chosen by a group of people who want to make sure that the hardest working and neediest children are receiving the scholarships. So far we have sponsored thirty students. However, because there are so many children in need, we often have to keep a long list of students waiting to receive a scholarship.
• Improving existing schools by providing and improving school equipment. We have donated 10 computers directly to schools. We have provided money to make the town library better and offer more books for students to learn and be excited about learning.
• Telling families about the importance of sending children to school. We make presentations to the community to explain why education is a way for students to help their family find their way out of poverty. Education will allow their children to get better jobs and fulfill their dreams.
• Cultural exchange programs that are beneficial for everyone. Children whose parents are from Ghana that are struggling at school in the United States are sent to Ghana to visit their relatives and learn about their heritage. We are starting to build an international guest house. Students and teachers from the U.S. who have helped students go to school can then visit Bekwai and offer their special skills and unique experiences and learn about Bekwai at the same time.
This is a story of a boy who received a scholarship to go to high school:
“My name is Dapaah Marfo Grace and I am seventeen years old. We are seven children [in my family] and I am the last born. [Because of a scholarship], I am currently attending Wesley High School in Bekwai. I am counted as one of the best students as far academic excellence is concerned. I am also good at reading and soccer. I have made it a point to work very hard and come out with flying colors in the West African Secondary School Certificate Examination in June. It is my aim to be a lawyer in the near future.” HOW YOU CAN HELP WITH YOUR PENNY HARVEST FUNDS • $100 to $300 will fund a scholarship for a high school student for one year. HOW YOU CAN PARTNER WITH US We have already partnered with a Penny Harvest school before! Last year, we:
• Visited MS 72 in Queens to teach students to teach them about the history and culture of Ghana and the about all the children that can’t go to school You can partner with us too!
CONTACT US Name: William A. Ankobiah
Title: Executive Director Address: Rosedale Medical Center 235-02 147th Avenue Rosedale, NY 11422 Email: wankobiah@yahoo.com Phone: 917-929-3695 Fax: 718-341-3535 Best time to contact: 7am – 9am; after 4pm Preferred method of contact: phone |
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