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Message from the President

This year, Thanksgiving week was extraordinary. I led a team of North Carolina school girls, a few of their parents, and a college professor to Ghana to conduct an amazing service project. We impacted the lives of hundreds of Ghanaian students in two schools, one in an impoverished neighborhood outside Accra and the other in a village. In 2012, Kybele co-founded "The Bridge Project", as a way to open the eyes of US school children to conditions of extreme need in the world and provide them the tools to help address it. Hopefully, through valuable lessons learned at a young age, their lives can be shaped towards service, cultural understanding and humanity. Raising money for a cause is important, but actually experiencing the cause, can catapult greater change and perspective. Please see the photos and read the words shared by the Ghanaian and US school children during the week.

Dr. Medge Owen and a local tribal leader in a small village where The Bridge Project donated materials and books for the villiage. To show their appreciation, villagers gathered together for a cultural celebration of music and dancing.  Photo by Dayne Logan.

We have seen first-hand the susceptibility of uneducated girls to teenage pregnancy and lives desperately locked in poverty. Several girls became pregnant, dropped out of school, and at least one recently died from a backstreet abortion. Yet, so many others have prospered through the help of motivated, caring teachers and the power of books and education. A sixth grade teacher at Odoi Atsem Memorial Preparatory School, served by the project, shared that the previously donated books have been a vast help in teaching the children to read. Now, this year, for the first time, 100% of the students passed their exams to enter junior high school. Another young girl, Anita, sponsored by the project, is now class president at a local boarding school and wants to become a doctor. Her single mother is a street vendor. It is time to break the cycle. Our girls, through this project, have directly seen the difference that an education can make. I'm convinced, more than ever, of the power of service learning. It is Kybele's foundation. 

In this season of Thanksgiving and giving, we give thanks to everyone across the globe who donates time and money to help us continue our medical programs and services like these.

BRIDGE Project Answers The Call

Article by Dayne Logan

In September, a call for help went out from Percy Gogoe, headmaster at Odoi Atsem Primary School in Accra, Ghana. The school's roof was collapsing, and Ghanaian authorities had threatened to close it down to ensure the safety of its more than 150 students. Gogoe needed a new roof, and he needed it fast. Five American high school students answered the call in just two short months by raising $5,000 for the school through the Bridge Project, an initiative that launched in 2012.

 

In its short history, Bridge has served Odoi Atsem by funding the construction of a library and filling it with books suitable for children ages 4 through 12. All that was under threat with the sagging roof. Also under threat was the educational future of each student who calls Odoi Atsem home. Most students are only able to attend Odoi Atsem because of its exceptionally low attendance fees. At the equivalent of $10 per academic term, the school is a steal compared to other schools in the city, which can cost as much as $500 per term. Despite the school's low price, many parents struggle to come up with the $10 and would have been unable to cover the costs required by other schools. Fortunately they won't have to.

Danny, a teacher at ...Replacing the roof at Odoi Atsem School. Photo by Dayne Logan.

 

On Nov. 19, the five students mentioned above (Bray Barto, Martha Dean, Catherine Craver, Elizabeth Bray and Jozy Unal) hand-delivered the money they raised to Gogoe and were on-hand to witness the completion of a new roof for the entire school. The roof ensures not only the children's safety but also their continuing education. It also means they will be able to meet even in inclement weather.

 

In addition to the money delivery, the Bridge Project students and their five adult chaperones spent three days at Odoi Atsem talking with, playing with and loving on the children.

 

Reflecting on her trip, one Bridge Project student said: "Although we make a difference in these people's lives, they continually make a difference in ours as well. I hope I was able to give as much as I took."

Members of The Bridge Project along with Odoi Atsem community members.  Photo by Dayne Logan.

BRIDGE Project Making An Impact

Article by Dayne Logan

In addition to performing important work while in Ghana, the Bridge Project team also heard some incredible stories that serve as a testament to the impact of the initiative.

 

Three years ago, Odoi Atsem Primary School in Accra, Ghana, had a dirt floor, an aging tin roof, a few scattered and tattered books, and a group of teachers toiling to hold it all together. Three years on, the school's collaboration with Bridge has resulted in a concrete floor (making it possible to hold school even when it rains), a library filled with books and, most recently, a new roof.

Reconstruction of the school underway.  Photo by Dayne Logan.

 

But the question remained: Was the project paying dividends for the students. To answer that question, Odoi Atsem Headmaster Percy Gogoe, pointed to a story: Earlier this year, soon-to-be graduates of the school (students in their sixth year) took examinations to find out if they would qualify for junior high school. Gogoe was nervous for them. The year before, only six of the 16 Odoi Atsem graduates passed the exams, meaning 10 of his former pupils had not been allowed to continue their education beyond grade six. Many, Gogoe said, had struggled with the reading and writing portions of the examination, likely due to a lack of books to work with at the school.

Odoi Atsem students enjoy books from the library as well as coloring pages and art supplies provided by The Bridge Project. Photo by Dayne Logan.

 

What a difference a year and a full library can make. This year, all 21 Odoi Atsem students who took the exam passed it and were allowed to continue on to junior high. Gogoe said the students' success has had a ripple effect throughout the student body and throughout the community. Current students can see a better future for themselves, and more parents are choosing to send their students to the school.

 

Former graduates are also reaping the benefits. One such graduate is Anita. Head of her class two years ago at Odoi Atsem, Anita had big dreams but an unclear path forward.

 

"I want to be a doctor," Anita says. "I want to save lives."

 

Teachers at Odoi Atsem said Anita has the intelligence and drive to make her dream come true but lacks the financial resources. Her single mother, uneducated and a street vendor, could barely provide as it was. Fortunately, when taking her junior high placement exams, Anita did so well that she earned admission to the prestigious St. John's Junior High School, a boarding school in Accra. When the Bridge Project student team heard about her placement, they agreed to fund her with a full scholarship. The US students conduct garage sales four to five times per year to come up with the funds.

Bridge Project members, Jozy Unal (in white) and Bray Barto (in black) catch up with Anita during this most recent trip.  Photo by Dayne Logan.

 

Anita said the first few weeks were a shock. Her new school had taken her not only out of her home but also into a world of privilege. Her classmates came from well-to-do families, and the academic facilities were otherworldly (athletics fields, a cafeteria, science laboratories). But rather than gawk, Anita did what she does best; she got to work.

 

"I'm doing well," Anita says modestly.

 

So well in fact that she has risen to the top of her class and was recently elected her year's president by her fellow students.

 

There's still a long road ahead for Anita with stops at high school and university, but it's a long road that appears pointed straight to the top.  

2017 Programs are GROWING!

Kybele Intern Tesia Oliver Wins Award

Kybele Program Intern, Tesia Oliver (holding purple ribbon) and other award winners on Wake Forest Medical Student Research Day.

Kybele Receives Major Support from the Following:

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