Since 2009, we have been leading Seven Hills missions, doing what we are capable of in establishing clean water wells and village latrines, building schools and medical clinics, pioneering microloans to impoverished farming families, establishing vocational training centers for those living in some of the worst slums imaginable, and much more. We are continuing this work in Sierra Leone and Ghana over the next 8 days along with my colleagues Ashish Jaiswal, Sarita Pandey, Barbara Abrahams, and Pastor Samuel Kariuki ( our SHGO partner in Kenya where we completed a new school in the year of “Kibera” earlier in 2024). They are all remarkable individuals who have left family and friends in Worcester to join me in our efforts to uplift the poorest of the poor.
We arrived safely Friday very late afternoon in Accra and began our 13-hour day this morning at 7:00 am with a 3-hour van ride over some very rough roads to a village I’ve now worked in 5 times over the past 12 years: Nyitawuta. In 2013, when our SHGO partner, consisting of Seven Hills staff and incredibly talented students from Clark University, Nyitawuta was an isolated village of 350 individuals who lacked clean water and no medical support, and the nearest school was a 5-mile walk through the bush. At the time, it seemed daunting, but with each visit made by Seven Hills staff and Clark University students, we’ve been able to raise funds from donors in the US who have helped us build a new clean water well, a brand-new medical clinic opened last year, and supported efforts to establish a rudimentary school for the children of the village. We’ve also run medical clinics to screen for illness, cataract eye concerns, and other medical issues.
An example of our work is meeting today with an elderly woman who, 2 years ago, came to our screening clinic and complained of a very painful shoulder. We quickly determined her shoulder was dislocated as a result of a fall. Her challenge - and that of the village leaders- was they did not have the $10 USD needed to transport her to the nearest medical center, an hour away, and pay the fee required to the clinic. $10 - that was it, but when you’re poor beyond the imagination of most of us living in Massachusetts, that $10 prevented her from seeking treatment and alleviating her pain.
Today, I met this woman again, and we hugged each recalling what had occurred years ago. Her name is Saidya, and she is 83 years old. For as long as she lives, she will be forever thankful for the staff from Seven Hills and students from Clark listening to her and then responding immediately. Nyitawuta welcomed us with open arms and loving hearts today. In return, they gave us the best they could - dance and music presented by their young people and elders alike. They have only their love to offer, which was more than any of us could have asked for.
In several of the pictures sent with this blog tonight you’ll see Sarina, Ashish, Barbara and Pastor Sam with the children - walking through the village - receiving a tour of the new medical clinic SHGO helped launch, and seeing school classrooms void of furniture or books Education is the best means out of poverty and so my hope that in the year ahead we can call upon the Ghanaian diaspora now living in Massachusetts to help us in putting together a shipment of basic school books, curricula, and supplies ( pencils !!) to have shipped to our partner in Ghana; Rev Barbara Asempa and her organization called HOCAP. She, in turn, will transport all of the school supplies we can gather, and together, we’ll work to establish meaningful educational support for all of the children of Nyitawuta.
Over the past 12 years, SHGO has supported several villages in Ghana, and today, we have adopted a third community in desperate need. Djorkpo is another rural village recently wiped away by a massive flood during last year's rainy season. Women and children were displaced and left with little. Men struggle to find work that pays $3 or 4 USD a day. The community has identified itself as needing a vocational training center for its youth. There is an expression I have long held near in our 15 years of work through SHGO, “Without hope, the people perish.” The villagers of Djorkpo are close to giving up hope and scattering throughout Ghana without family.
Today, we committed to helping them by establishing a vocational training center that would offer youth the opportunity to learn various trades (electricity, computers, nursing assistance, etc.), allowing them to stay and rebuild their community. The event was so significant to the people of Djorkpo that the ‘Parliamentary Chief for that region of Ghana (much like a United States Senator in stature) traveled the 3.5 hours from Accra to meet us, and he and I then symbolically broke ground for the new Vocational Center. This one act by SHGO and Clark students alike transformed the entire community in a moment.
And so- now the real work begins when I return to Massachusetts and begin raising the funds needed - from individual donors who have supported our work over the years AND a commitment desperately needed from the Ghanaian Diaspora and Seven Hills employees from Ghana. We need to raise the necessary funds to build this new Vocational Training Center over the next 7 months so that work can begin immediately after the rainy season ends next August. Any help - or thoughts on how to raise the $10,000 required- would be deeply appreciated.
We began Seven Hills Global Outreach 15 years ago on a mustard seed of belief and faith that we could all make some small difference in the world. It’s been remarkable for me to witness, from the very beginning, the coming together of Seven Hills Foundation staff from 52 different countries, along with my Clark University students from around the world. This work, sponsored by Seven Hills and supported by staff and students alike, today serves over 25,000 people in 8 countries. What a remarkable undertaking, and dare I say, a “miracle” in what has occurred over this time.
Tomorrow, we again start anew and continue the work we’ve set before us; that is, with whatever skills or abilities we individually and collectively possess - uplift the lives of children and mothers who have little other than the love they freely share. Please continue to follow our work here in Ghana and next week as we travel to Sierra Leone. On behalf of Sarita, Ashish, Barbara, and Pastor Samuel - good night to you and yours.
-Dr. David A. JordanPresident Emeritus , Seven Hills Foundation & Affiliates ( 1995-2023) andDean of the School of Business at Clark University.
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