A little Wisdom along the way

Mary mentioned in our last post we have a great support system of friends and family here in the US! We also have an excited support system in Ghana filled with loving and hard working people. One man that stands out is Wisdom Kojo Agbana. 

When I met Wisdom his warmth and passion stood out immediately. He is such a caring and hard working individual. He has done a great job of communicating with Mary and I about our up coming trip to Asikuma, Ghana. I take great comfort in the fact that Wisdom will be working side by side with us to help improve the education experience and the lives of the children in Asikuma. He is a great person to have on our journey and I know we, both Mary and I, look forward to working with such an extraordinary man.

As I am sure you can tell Mary and I have already developed strong bonds with the individuals in Ghana who we will be working with, but we want you to get to know some of them too! We are going to be blogging about some of the incredible people that we have the pleasure of working with!

Wisdom Kojo Agbana has been a part of the King­dom Cares International team for over 2 years and serves as our Operations Coordinator in Ghana. He was born in Asikuma and after finishing high school, pursued training in graphic design. Wisdom’s passion for his work allowed for many years of success in this industry.

A mutual friend in Ghana connected Kingdom Cares International (KCI) with Wisdom, which lead to relationships being built and them working with him on various projects. Simultaneously, God began a great work in his heart. “As I heard Kingdom Cares International’s mission of Isaiah 1:17, tears dropped down my face”, said Wisdom. He began by caring for the medical needs of adults and children with HIV in Asikuma and would spend hours at the hospital making sure they had all the right medication. Wisdom has a special passion for the children; he loves when they are around him and feels like he can be a voice that advocates for them.

KCIs relationship with Wisdom grew and so did their vision for what God was calling them to do in Asikuma. As the vision for building a mission center developed, Wisdom simply asked what he could do to support this great vision. Thereafter, he began taking courses on NGO operations and project management. Wisdom worked to sell KCIs vision to chiefs and other stake­holders in Asikuma, manage the construction of the mission center all the way to its completion, and ensure that the orphans they were already caring for had everything they needed. According to Wisdom, “It brings me great joy when people come to me and I am able to meet their physical needs and share the gospel with them.

Please continue to follow out journey on www.facebook.com/KCCSchool or email kccschool15@gmail.com to get more information on how you can support us!

With love, 

| Anna |  

Pre-Trip Thoughts

As Anna and I get ready to leave in August, we have been spending a lot of time working to get all of our ducks in a row. We've been working on fundraising for the school, gathering supplies, and coming up with a game plan for when we arrive in Asikuma. However, on top of all this we are both working multiple jobs this summer and trying to spend time with our family and friends that we are going to be saying goodbye to in less than two months.

As a result, I often times don't know how to respond when people ask me if I'm excited. The straightforward, easy answer is "yes, of course!" However, when it all boils down the answer isn't quite so simple. Some days I'm excited, but other days I'm overwhelmed, anxious, or I barely even think about the upcoming move. At this point in time, it hardly seems real that in two months I'll be living in Ghana.

But luckily for me, I have an incredible support system that has been with me every step of the way. From making the decision to fundraising to preparing for the move to listening to me, I couldn't ask for better family and friends. They have listened to me panic and helped calm my nerves. They have listened to me gush about this experience and never once told me to stop talking. They have bought t-shirts and donated financially. They have given advice. They are the best and I know Anna feels the same way! We are truly blessed.

This is only the beginning. Anna and I will continue to have our ups and downs, but I know that both of us are anxiously looking forward to this experience. I couldn't ask to have a better friend or educator taking this risk with me. All we ask is for your continued love and support. Follow our journey. Support the school financially. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We are looking forward to sharing our journey with you!

Please continue following our journey at www.facebook.com/KCCSchool or email kccschool15@gmail.com to get more information as to how you can support us!

~Mary~

The Start of a Journey!

After graduating from Drake University, we'll be embarking on a year-long adventure to improve education in Ghana, Africa. When sharing this decision with people, many people have asked why Africa and what exactly we will be doing. Please allow us to elaborate.

Why Ghana? We have both had the opportunity to take two incredible, life-changing trips to this developing country in Western Africa. While there, we spent a good portion of our time in a rural village called Asikuma. Here we not only learned a lot about ourselves, but the world we live in.  We fell in love with the people, the way of life, and the country. We are now compelled to go and give back to a place that has given us so much.

When reflecting back on our time spent in Ghana, there is not one specific moment when we knew that moving there was going to be our next step in life. However, we both have had the opportunity to teach in the schools and experience firsthand the disparity and need that hinders learning there. Picture 30 students gathered under a large tree sitting on broken benches huddled around a single cracked chalkboard trying to learn. Picture a small classroom filled with over 60 kindergarten age students trying to gain the attention of a single teacher. Picture five year olds running over their classmates trying to get to the front of the room only to ask to go next door to get the family’s only pencil from their older brother or sister. Picture the children who are not fortunate enough to be enrolled in school hiding behind the trees that line the school grounds, standing for hours on end to try and hear what their friends are learning. This is the environment, which we’ve taught in and experienced, but more importantly these are the realities of education and everyday life in rural Ghana.

While in Asikuma we will be working for Kingdom Cares International, a non-profit organization that works sustainably in Ghana to improve the lives of many through education, community outreach, and the development of transferable skills. The primary focus of our work will be to help develop the primary school that Kingdom Cares opened earlier this year. Our goal is to create a curriculum for children that allows them to learn everything necessary to pass the high school entrance exam that is necessary for them to further their education. We will be working very closely with a team of teachers there to ensure that the students are being taught effectively, and that the school is running smoothly.

This is an extremely exciting, yet nerve wracking time for both of us. We would like to invite you to join us on our journey. Many people have asked what they can do to help and support us as the departure approaches! 

How you can partner with us:

Give: We are going to be working in a school and community that has a lot of expected and unexpected needs. Our goal is to raise significant funds to help cover the needs of the school and students. Some possible uses for the funds include feeding 200 school children on a daily basis ($200 per day), student uniforms ($13-14), teacher salaries ($100 per month per teacher), student transportation ($150 per week), and educational materials.

Donations can be made in two forms.

• Become a part of the 1200 club! To help meet the needs as they arise on a monthly basis, we are asking you to consider a recurring donation of $100.00 or more a month. In return, you will receive a monthly newsletter with project updates and have your name displayed in the Kingdom building and on the website.
• kingdomcaresinternational.cloverdonations.com/1200-club/

·      Make a one-time donation to Kingdom Cares International toward Education Development in Ghana:  

• kingdomcaresinternational.cloverdonations.com/sponsor-a-project/

Follow Us:

Like the Kingdom Cares Community School Facebook Page and/or follow our blog: Here you will find more information about the school, projects, and we will also post updates and pictures throughout our endeavors so you can follow the journey.

·      https://www.facebook.com/KCCSchool

·      http://kccschool.blogspot.com 

Information about donating:

1.     All donations are tax-deductible.

2.     Please label all donations

3.     Checks can be made out and mailed to:

          Kingdom Cares International at 6095 NE Industry Drive Des Moines, IA 50313

4.     Give online by visiting the corresponding link above.

If you have questions or would like more information about the work we will be doing in Ghana, please do not hesitate to email us at kccschool15@gmail.com.

Thank you in advance for your love and support!

*Anna & Mary*