Return to Ghana: Austin Rotary Club

Showing posts with label Austin Rotary Club. Show all posts

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Follow this Little Free Library as it travels from Minnesota USA to Ghana...in 12 days

All loaded up in the car ready to go to
Austin, MN and then New Brighton to
get dressed and ready for the trip

An initiative within the 3rd phase of the Street Girls Aid project, the volunteer team (click here to learn more about the volunteer team )will be working on a multi-dimensional project including:

literacy,
vocational training and,
library stewardship.

The literacy portion of the project includes purchasing/picking-up/bringing and delivering local culturally inclusive books in Accra from the Osu Children's Library Fund and the Ghana Book Trust in partnership with Books For Africa, Little Free Library ,our many donors and sponsors and using them to fill the libraries, providing access to books and literacy initiatives to the girls and their babies who live, work and sleep on the streets of Accra;

The vocation training opportunities include building, manufacturing, decorating, assembling and installing Little Free Libraries Little Free Libraries and strategizing about additional vocational opportunities for the girls related to the construction aspect of the project;

The library stewardship part of the project includes workshops and shared learning opportunities with the Street Girls Aid Staff and the team traveling to Ghana in coordination and partnership with a number of on the ground librarians - can't wait to see what comes from these shared learning opportunities.

The birth of the traveling library - Hudson, Wisconsin USA

To successfully accomplish the build, assemble and construct part of the project, the team will be bringing 5 libraries with us as checked baggage and will seek partners on the ground to design and draw plans for libraries...and you will be able to follow this particular library which Kathy Stutzman built in Hudson, Wisconsin and the journey starts here...

The next part of the trip for this library is to shipping to get dressed and ready for the trip, pictures will be posted when it is ready to travel, until then - follow the links included in this post to learn more about the various partners we will be working with in Accra...12 days and counting.

Thank you all for your support and well-wishes!

Monday, October 28, 2013

Rotary District Grant Awarded

The team is taking pre-orders for goods
made by the girls at Street Girls Aid

Books will be purchased in Ghana
for the libraries that the
girls and volunteers
will build

Books will be available in
libraries within the creches
for the girls and their babies

Rochester Rotarians District Governor Elect Karel Weigel and Judy O'Fallon, grant mentor, presented Austin Rotary Club President Scott Anderson with the District 5960 Grant check on October 28, 2013 for $12,000 for The Ghana Street Girls Grant Phase 3.

Kathy Stutzman from the Austin Rotary Club and PDG Cathy Smith from the Fridley/Colunbia Heights Rotary Club will be leading a team of volunteers who will be leaving for Ghana on January 24th 2014. Updates about the team and the on-the-ground work they will be doing in Accra will be posted as they prepare for the experience.

The team will have a planning meeting on November 2nd at 2:00 at Family Means in Stillwater, MN Skype options are available and need to be pre-arranged.

Opportunities for engagement will be discussed at the November 2nd Team meeting for people and organizations who want to support this effort and yet,

During Phase 2 (the planning phase) the girls were asked
to respond to this question...how would you answer the question?

may not be able to travel to Africa to work with Street Aid and the girls.

Opportunities include sponsoring libraries, sets of books to stock in the libraries, purchaing goods that the girls make, sponsoring the travel team...the opportunities are endless! If you are interested in learning more about how you can support this project, send an e-mail or contact one of us through the blog and a team member will connect with you.

Kathy Stutzman, Scott Anderson, Karel Weigel, Judy O'Fallon
present the District 5960 grant of $12,000 to the Austin Rotary Club

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Rotary and Ghana in the news

Check out this news story about the upcoming trip to Ghana

The story and inspiration behind the upcoming work in Ghana

Friday, November 23, 2012

Serving Street Children...Impacting Generations....

The goodies are on their way...For those of you who ordered items made by Street Aid...here they are! And they will soon be in your hands. If you did not order anything but want to after you see these wonderful items, we are bringing a nice order home so contact us at the e-mail address at the bottom of this page and we will give you more information. The girls have been busy for the last few weeks making all of these things just for you and the impact is pretty incredible...these girls were living, working, and sleeping on the streets of Accra with their babies before they enrolled in the school. While living at the refuge, they must participate in school classes, learn about caring for their babies, receive medical care, and learn a trade - sewing, hair dressing, cookery; some of the girls have expressed interest in some other vocations such as business and being a mason... As apprentice seamstresses, they contribute to their meals, food, child care and their babies meals by making these items. Your purchase of these goods helps not only the girls and the Street Girls Aid organization, but also society as a whole since Street Girls Aid has as one of its objectives assisting girls in becoming contributing members of society. And finally, your purchase will also be cherished by whomever you give it to...in fact, we had a hard time deciding who got what because we wanted to keep everything. A few more pictures of the day follow...enjoy!