http://www.noozhawk.com/article/women_to_women_international_082413
Thank you, Melissa, for telling the story of our lovely afternoon, of our project and more importantly, of the needs of young women in Northern Ghana:
Women to Women International Benefit Goes Back to School for Ghana
Santa Barbara supporters gather for fundraiser supporting educational opportunities for girls, and a total of 20 schlarships
Women to Women International board members
Silvia Morgan, left, and Michel Nellis, center, join homeowner Nancy
Read at the entryway to the Ghana High School Project fundraiser held in
Montecito. (Photo by Melissa Walker / Noozhawk)
From
left, Teriana Berriz Valle and her husband, Chris Casebeer, Adriana
Rosales and Eduardo Hernandez at the Women to Women International
benefit. (Melissa Walker / Noozhawk photo)
The fifth annual fundraiser for the Women to Women International Ghana High School Project was hosted recently by a group of local
women at the fabulous home of Nancy Read in Montecito, raising $13,000
to help ensure that a group of young women in West Africa receive proper
educational opportunities.
Providing scholarships to students within
selected impoverished communities is the mission of the organization
that benefits students of St. Anne’s Girls Senior Secondary School located in the small village of Damongo, in northern Ghana.
Generous donations raised at
the event accompanies additional funds toward a commitment to nine
ongoing scholarship recipients from 2012, entering their last year of
schooling, and provides the ability to add 11 more as the registration
process is completed in Ghana. Funding will provide uniforms, tuition,
food and board for a year and needed steps toward the goal of providing
20 scholarships this year.
Without this annual sponsorship, the young women
would not have the opportunity to attend school and would likely be
forced to work in subsistence farming and care for younger siblings.
“I am very grateful for all
that you have done for me, especially paying my fees,” recipient
Josephine Beyou said in a thank you to the organization. “It has helped
to reduce the burden on my mother so much. What is left now is for me to
study hard, and I promise you I will do that not just for myself but
for mother Ghana.”
The charity event mixed a delightful pinch of
good cheer with a dash of international flair as guests helped
themselves to an array of international cuisine shared by volunteers and
staff members who prepared and provided the diverse ethnic dishes.
A variety of auction items were also offered for bid, including two nights at Bacara Resort & Spa, Cree Mann original signed watercolor, oil painting by Erica Shaw, lodging in Maui at The Whaler, and more.
The boarding school, founded in 2003 by the Catholic Diocese of Damongo,
is one of the most desolate and poverty-stricken regions in northern
Ghana. Due to the hardship and deprivation of career opportunities in
the settlement, a majority of young girls are often denied access to
schooling.
Girls and young women from all faiths and tribes
are welcomed, which is important in a region populated by diverse sects
of religious beliefs and practices. In addition, Ghanaians speak English
as their official language, which makes communication easier between
representatives at the school, students and board members.
Accommodations at the boarding school are vital
for the students because it provides assurance that the girls will be
allowed to complete their studies in a safe environment away from family
distractions.
The organization spearheaded by Michel Nellis, Women to Women International president, and Silvia Morgan, Ghana High School Project CEO, and
a dedicated team of volunteers who make up the board of directors and
sounding board meet regularly to coordinate outreach projects to ensure
students receive needed supplies.“Due to your support, the buying of books and other learning materials has been made easy for me," student Sarah Hassan said in another thank you note to the nonprofit. "This has helped to improve upon my studies. I do not also depend solely on what my teachers give to me for my studies because I can afford some other books for my studies.”
The school’s high academic standards have attracted young women from all over northern Ghana and, as the number of pupils increases, the need for more educational scholarships provided by donors is fundamental to ensure that the young women attending school and those awaiting scholarships have opportunities for a better life that only education can provide.
Click here
to view a video documentary by Dave Carrell about last years 2012 event
and the Ghana High School Project. To donate or sponsor a student of
the Ghana High School Project, visit a donation site or email.
— Noozhawk iSociety columnist Melissa Walker can be reached at mwalker@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkSociety, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Become a fan of Noozhawk on Facebook.
Guests seated in the lush garden listen to a presentation. (Photo by Melissa Walker / Noozhawk)
Pamela Holst, left, and Susan Evans. (Photo by Melissa Walker / Noozhawk)
Jojo Barker, left, and Betsy Kain. (Photo by Melissa Walker / Noozhawk)
Women to Women International Sounding Board
member Sunanda Bhargava with Ghana High School Project CEO Silvia Morgan
display a $500 donation from the Goleta Noontime Rotary Club. (Photo by
Fritz Pinney)
Laraine and Hod Gray. (Photo by Melissa Walker / Noozhawk)
Standing, from left, Cecilia Collins, Bertha
Carrell, Janete McNall, and sitting, from left, are Doris Smeltz and
Luz Elena Lerner. (Photo by Melissa Walker / Noozhawk)
Pam Libera, Paul Zappela and Jeanine Kitchel. (Photo by Melissa Walker / Noozhawk)
David and Rocio James. (Photo by Melissa Walker / Noozhawk)
Sisters Julie and Emi Cooper. (Photo by Melissa Walker / Noozhawk)
Ana Maria Herrera and Joseph Wallace. (Photo by Melissa Walker / Noozhawk)
Some of the international treats offered from Ghana, the United States and elsewhere. (Photo by Melissa Walker / Noozhawk)
Silent auction items on display. (Photo by Melissa Walker / Noozhawk)
Guests review and make bids on silent auction items. (Photo by Melissa Walker / Noozhawk)
Nanna Arthur with son Jonathan, 4, and daughter Andrea, 2. (Photo by Melissa Walker / Noozhawk)
Claire Van Blaricum, Jane Honikman, Cathy
Black, Michel Nellis and Silvia Morgan address the crowd during a
fundraiser for the Women to Women International Ghana High School
Project. (Photo by Melissa Walker / Noozhawk)
