An Update

Hello friends,

Now that it's been over a year since I returned from my first trip to Saviefe, I wanted to give you an update.

First, in April 2009 I held a fundraiser to fund the completion of the village library, as well as to benefit the Saviefe Scholarship Fund. I created the fund to allow JSS students to compete academically for a year's tuition of Senior School. I worked with Anyo via email and post mail. Richard made a few dozen handbags for me to sell at the fundraiser, and Tony said that my efforts had inspired the village to throw their own fundraiser, yielding $300 cedis! Together, we raised enough money to complete construction of the library, and we sent two students to their first year of Senior School. In the fall of 2009, Tony emailed me to say that the seminars Denise and I conducted on education and health had been very effective. A year after we had visited Saviefe, there were NO new reported pregnancies among the students!!! I was so pleasantly surprised and so proud of the students we had befriended. Saviefe has had one other volunteer since then, and continue to make progress.

Second, I am now in my second semester as an M.A. student at Clark University studying International Development and Social Change. On May 16, 2010 I will arrive once again in Accra to work with Anyo and Bridge for 4 weeks. During that time I will be updating this blog with all of the adventures that I'm sure will take place, so starting in late May, check back often! I will assist Anyo in their projects as best I can, and possibly implement some new projects, but I will also be conducting primary research for my final Master's paper.