A School Fundraiser

A Muslim chief in Ghana recognized that young women need to be educated, so he donated 65 acres of land for a school to a local church.

Five people from Richmond, Va., including Barbara Coen, were at the July 2003 groundbreaking ceremony for that school in Buipe, Ghana.

Barbara, who is the southeast regional director for Continental Commercial Products in Richmond, heard a speech about the school and was inspired. She got her yellow fever, cholera, and typhoid shots, malaria medication, and two different prescriptions for “intestinal distress,” and headed off to Ghana for 16 days in July. “It was the best vacation I ever took,” Barbara said.

Originally, they thought they’d be physically working on the school for girls. “But when we arrived, we found out they really needed us to be their advocates,” Barbara said. “So, they took us on a trip around Ghana so we could learn about and communicate their needs when we returned to America.”

Four Ghanaian men, including two national ministers for education, escorted the Richmond group. “We felt like unlikely rock stars,” said Barbara. “Everywhere we went we were embraced. We always had an entourage. People universally expressed a love for Americans and America.”

Barbara says her biggest surprise was the warmth of the people. “They are in such dire straits. There is no clean water in the entire country, and the outlying villages have no electricity. People have inadequate clothing and hardly any medical supplies. Yet, they are such peaceful people — perhaps the nicest group of people I’ve ever met.”

Accommodations were stark and water was at a premium. “The water got turned on every couple of days. In the meantime, we each had, in our room, a 10-gallon plastic waste receptacle full of water. It was what we used for bathing, toilets and washing clothes. It had to last until the water was turned on again,” Barbara said.

They ate a lot of fried rice. Sometimes they had toast made in outdoor brick ovens, eggs and beans. They could also have a bit of chicken, goat or dried fish if they wanted. “We had three square meals a day, but that was more than the locals had. We were struck by the fact that the Ghanaians’ meals were repetitious and strictly for subsistence,” Barbara said.

One day, the group actually did work for the school. Barbara’s job was to carry the water on her head. “The locals were surprised that we wanted to do manual labor. We helped make cinderblocks for the foundation of the school building,” Barbara said. She continued, “It was backbreaking work. The 50-pound cinderblocks are made of dirt, concrete and water from the stream. The mixture gets stirred and put in a press one block at a time. It was embarrassing to think that we only got about 50 blocks made. They need to have 5,000 blocks finished before they can start construction.”

I asked Barbara if she is planning to go back. “Absolutely. I’ve already made plans for 2005.”

In a country where a school uniform costs $4 and a secondary school scholarship is $300 per year, raising $50,000 to build a school would seem to be a daunting task. However, since Barbara and her traveling companions have been back from Ghana, they’ve collected over $20,000 in donations for the school.

I think they had better hurry up and get those cinderblocks finished.

Gretchen Roufs, a 15-year janitorial supply industry veteran, owns Auxiliary Marketing Services of San Antonio. To suggest someone you think should be featured in “freetime,” contact her at (210) 601-4572 or e-mail.