Experience the ENERGY of the village
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Join Our Next Trip!
We are starting to plan our next trip for March 2026 and are looking for volunteers. If you're curious about our past trips, scroll down to see some photos. If you have any questions please reach out via email and we will answer all questions. Here are some non-negotiables if you're interested in joining a trip :) 1) You must be able to go with the flow & expect the unexpected 2) There are some crazy roads... not the best if you get car sick 3) You won't have all your luxuries from home, but the cold showers feel amazing in the hot hot climate 4) The food there is INCREDIBLE, but maybe not for super picky eaters 5) You MUST bring a positive attitude, lots of dance moves, and a smile every day :) If you check all these boxes, we look forward to seeing you soon! |
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March/April 2025 Trip
This year, our returning board members Susan and Roger were joined by two wonderful new team members, Ryan Gardent and Claudia Bauman. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we arrived in Kpelezo with a mountain of supplies and open hearts, ready to make an impact.
Projects Completed This Year:
New Goals Moving Forward:
As always, we spent time speaking with our friends in the village to determine the best next steps for the school and community. With their input, our new fundraising goals include:
We are already dreaming about next year’s trip, and would love to have more people join our mission. If you're interested in being part of something truly special, reach out to us and get involved!
Projects Completed This Year:
- Repaired and added lighting in several areas of the school
- Fixed the roof on the second school block
- Cleaned and reorganized the teacher supply closet using donated materials
- Organized and refreshed the library, even sending kids home with books to read for fun!
- Purchased two bikes for students traveling to junior high (plus four more donated by our Belgian partners!)
- The students helped create a beautiful mural with the help of our artist Frank
- We added four metal shelving units to the school
- Celebrated Easter with candy and an egg hunt
- Assisted students with their exam review week, with lots of math help and fun educational games
- Watched our amazing students compete in a knowledge quiz—complete with a spelling bee and math challenge (shoutout to the girls’ team for the win!)
- Partnered with Belgian volunteers to build a door for an elderly blind woman in the village
- Discovered a talented local artist who will offer art classes to our students
- Immersed ourselves in the local culture with delicious food, music, and lots of dancing
- Met with all the teachers to review progress and start planning our next big school improvements
New Goals Moving Forward:
As always, we spent time speaking with our friends in the village to determine the best next steps for the school and community. With their input, our new fundraising goals include:
- Constructing a new IT/Library building with an adjoining office
- Building two new bucket-flush toilets for teachers and guests
- Growing our volunteer base for future trips
We are already dreaming about next year’s trip, and would love to have more people join our mission. If you're interested in being part of something truly special, reach out to us and get involved!
March 2023 Trip
After a bit of a hiatus (several years, actually), we reengaged with our friends in the village and have made tremendous progress in our efforts to support the school.
A group of us, including members of the board and Michael Savoie a past Friends volunteer and a videographer, journeyed to the village in March 2023 and had a most uplifting and rewarding experience. We brought 100s of pounds of donated learning materials and books and clothes, including computers, projector and related technology, And while we were there we:
1. Set up a computer lab
2. Oversaw the installation of fencing around the campus (to keep out the many goats!)
3. Provided training and curriculum enhancements for teachers
4. Helped in the classrooms, and had TONS of fun with the kids!
We returned with a head of steam and a renewed commitment to raising funds necessary to
improve the school and to provide educational opportunities for youth in the area. The first
priority was to fund the construction of a two-unit bungalow to house teachers. Ve-Kpelezo is
remote, with no available housing, and as a result, the school was having difficulty attracting
teachers.
Thanks to our generous donors, and volunteers from the village who prepared the site and set
the foundation, the bungalow came together rather quickly. When the government heard word
of it, they immediately posted a group of five student teachers, who assisted at the school
through the spring term. They lived in one unit, with a new head mistress occupying
the second unit.
Please see below for a few photos of our trip.
After a bit of a hiatus (several years, actually), we reengaged with our friends in the village and have made tremendous progress in our efforts to support the school.
A group of us, including members of the board and Michael Savoie a past Friends volunteer and a videographer, journeyed to the village in March 2023 and had a most uplifting and rewarding experience. We brought 100s of pounds of donated learning materials and books and clothes, including computers, projector and related technology, And while we were there we:
1. Set up a computer lab
2. Oversaw the installation of fencing around the campus (to keep out the many goats!)
3. Provided training and curriculum enhancements for teachers
4. Helped in the classrooms, and had TONS of fun with the kids!
We returned with a head of steam and a renewed commitment to raising funds necessary to
improve the school and to provide educational opportunities for youth in the area. The first
priority was to fund the construction of a two-unit bungalow to house teachers. Ve-Kpelezo is
remote, with no available housing, and as a result, the school was having difficulty attracting
teachers.
Thanks to our generous donors, and volunteers from the village who prepared the site and set
the foundation, the bungalow came together rather quickly. When the government heard word
of it, they immediately posted a group of five student teachers, who assisted at the school
through the spring term. They lived in one unit, with a new head mistress occupying
the second unit.
Please see below for a few photos of our trip.
June 2015 Trip
In June, 2015 four volunteers, traveled to Kpelezo to teach and to bring the WorldReader Program to the region. They included Susan Monahan and her daughters Katie and Erin, and Sydney Keane, a classmate of Katie's from Union College. The volunteers spent each weekday morning teaching at the Kpelezo Primary School. Classes for the older children, in grades 3-4, included Science, Geography and English. For the younger children in grades 1 and 2, the focus was on Math and English. Kids in the the Kindergarten class enjoyed learning the alphabet, new songs, art, and basic words.
The volunteers' afternoons were spent with middle school teachers and students setting up a literacy program based on a model from the WorldReader organization, which distributes Kindle e-readers worldwide. Friends of Kpelezo purchased 50 Kindles, each loaded with 100 books. The volunteers first trained the teachers, who in turn introduced the e-readers to over 150 students. After a week of training, the program was officially launched. Dozens of elders, chiefs, teachers and parents gathered along with hundreds of students to celebrate with dancing and singing, speeches and demonstrations.
Time that was not spent training or teaching was spent in the village with the children - playing soccer, reading, taking photographs or running around playing tag. The volunteers also found time to catch up with Bismark, Basel, and Emmanuel, who, through Friends of Kpelezo and generous sponsors, have been thriving in senior high school these past two years. The most difficult part of the trip was saying goodbye to all these energetic and enthusiastic kids.
Please see below for a few photos of their trip.
In June, 2015 four volunteers, traveled to Kpelezo to teach and to bring the WorldReader Program to the region. They included Susan Monahan and her daughters Katie and Erin, and Sydney Keane, a classmate of Katie's from Union College. The volunteers spent each weekday morning teaching at the Kpelezo Primary School. Classes for the older children, in grades 3-4, included Science, Geography and English. For the younger children in grades 1 and 2, the focus was on Math and English. Kids in the the Kindergarten class enjoyed learning the alphabet, new songs, art, and basic words.
The volunteers' afternoons were spent with middle school teachers and students setting up a literacy program based on a model from the WorldReader organization, which distributes Kindle e-readers worldwide. Friends of Kpelezo purchased 50 Kindles, each loaded with 100 books. The volunteers first trained the teachers, who in turn introduced the e-readers to over 150 students. After a week of training, the program was officially launched. Dozens of elders, chiefs, teachers and parents gathered along with hundreds of students to celebrate with dancing and singing, speeches and demonstrations.
Time that was not spent training or teaching was spent in the village with the children - playing soccer, reading, taking photographs or running around playing tag. The volunteers also found time to catch up with Bismark, Basel, and Emmanuel, who, through Friends of Kpelezo and generous sponsors, have been thriving in senior high school these past two years. The most difficult part of the trip was saying goodbye to all these energetic and enthusiastic kids.
Please see below for a few photos of their trip.
MARCH 2014 TRIP
TO CONSTRUCT THE NEW SCHOOL BUILDING
In March 2014 six volunteers traveled to Kpelezo to help construct the second school building. They included: Frank Hertz, Chub Whitten, John Wise, Joe Emerson, Rami Harb and Maryann Malarkey.
For 8 days these hardy volunteers mixed mortar, layed concrete block, and eventually brought the building to a point of about 60 % completion. They maintained an exhausting schedule but found that the happy and playful energy of the kids that surrounded them through the days, gave them the inspiration they needed to get through the long hot days.
In addition to laboring on the building, with the help of many enthusiastic youth, they constructed regulation sized soccer goals out of bamboo and local lumber and the soccer nets from the U.S. They also constructed bookcases, repaired tables and window trim and built a seasaw out of scrap lumber and bamboo. The shelves were carefully organized with the donated books and the children begged for their new friends to read to them in their spare time.
The pictures below give insight into this remarkable trip.
TO CONSTRUCT THE NEW SCHOOL BUILDING
In March 2014 six volunteers traveled to Kpelezo to help construct the second school building. They included: Frank Hertz, Chub Whitten, John Wise, Joe Emerson, Rami Harb and Maryann Malarkey.
For 8 days these hardy volunteers mixed mortar, layed concrete block, and eventually brought the building to a point of about 60 % completion. They maintained an exhausting schedule but found that the happy and playful energy of the kids that surrounded them through the days, gave them the inspiration they needed to get through the long hot days.
In addition to laboring on the building, with the help of many enthusiastic youth, they constructed regulation sized soccer goals out of bamboo and local lumber and the soccer nets from the U.S. They also constructed bookcases, repaired tables and window trim and built a seasaw out of scrap lumber and bamboo. The shelves were carefully organized with the donated books and the children begged for their new friends to read to them in their spare time.
The pictures below give insight into this remarkable trip.
Kpelezo Summer Camp - 2013
Members of Friends of Kpelezo ran the first ever Kpelezo Summer Camp in August of 2013. 5 Members of the Friends of Kpelezo spent a good part of their summer collecting donations, purchasing art supplies and other materials in preparation for their trip to Kpelezo to run a summer camp. In total they transported 10 suitcases of donated items and supplies for the camp.
The camp was a resounding success and the Kpelezo community is looking forward to meeting the next group of volunteers. These Ipswich girls were immersed in the Ghanian culture and quickly grew to appreciate its warmth, hospitality and simple way of life. It was an experience that they will carry with them forever!
The camp was a resounding success and the Kpelezo community is looking forward to meeting the next group of volunteers. These Ipswich girls were immersed in the Ghanian culture and quickly grew to appreciate its warmth, hospitality and simple way of life. It was an experience that they will carry with them forever!
