To friends, families, and followers of our January SHGO trip to Sierra Leone and Ghana: over the next eleven days, our SHGO team (Siwen Wang, Qixian Wang, Michael Weekes, Noel Alexander, Spencer Gale and Kellee Kosiorek) and I will be part of the ongoing work begun in Sierra Leone and Ghana nearly seven years ago. Over that time, a number of Clark University students, donors, SHGO staff, and interested humanitarians have committed themselves to helping women and children in under resourced areas of the world. On this trip we will be furthering our work in the ‘Bandana Medical Clinic and Birthing Center’, help teach school children serving twenty-two remote villages, help with the planning of new clean water wells and community toilet facilities in villages which have never been privileged to have either, and see the transformative power of economic development using “microcredit” loans made to poor farmers. The intent of our SHGO trips to our partner organizations around the world is to help - in small and large ways - uplift people in need through self-determined, sustainable development work. I can think of no finer group of people than those leaving with us from Boston in just a few minutes. After a brief stop in Paris, we fly to Freetown, Sierra Leone and arrive tomorrow. Look for my daily blog updates and photos of our team as they work, learn, and become transformed themselves. More tomorrow!
Dr. D. Jordan - (“Dr. J”)