Western Heritage Home Orphanage/Community Learning Center

Our Legacy Project was to build an orphanage and community learning center in Axim. WE ARE THRILLED TO ANNOUNCE THAT ON DECEMBER 5, 2007, 28 CHILDREN MOVED INTO THEIR NEW HOME!! This project was initiated by our Ghanaian NGO partner, Western Heritage Home (WHH), to fill a crucial community need in Axim, and GCJ decided to help them. The children need shelter, and Axim needs a place for community gatherings, training classes, and vocational workshops of all kinds.

Currently there is no computer training center for adults in the Nzema East District of some 125,000 people. The community center and computer learning lab will provide revenue to support the children’s program. The building is 75% complete, thanks to funding procured by GCJ Ghana delegates/alums.

The GCJ team has worked together to support WHH in building this Orphanage and Learning Center, which will house up to 35 children orphaned due to HIV/AIDs, malaria, and other family tragedies.

The Learning Center will provide a much-needed facility for community leaders to hold meetings and classes on HIV/AIDs and general health awareness, women’s entrepreneurial and empowerment possibilities , and conflict resolution, and hold modest conferences. It will provide a place for Ghanaian and international volunteers to assist in Axim development project. It will house a Comuter Center to provide computer training and internet access to the community.

Staff for the Children’s Home have been hired. We are lacking kitchen counters, cabinets, chairs but the children are moved in. They are calling themselves “pioneers”, because they have moved in before things are quite ready, and are paving the way for future children. They are at home, have been attending school for a year, have had regular after-school meals, and have new hope and purpose for their lives! Thanks to all who have helped us so much.

Host: Western Heritage Home

Western Heritage Home is a Ghanaian-registered, Axim-based NGO which focuses on children, especially orphaned children, school fees, women’s empowerment, promoting AIDS awareness, and conflict resolution. James Kainyiah, WHH Founder and Chairman, is our local host. WHH has developed a vibrant board of men and women to oversee and manage the home and begin developing a sustainability plan, to find ways to generate income to pay ongoing school, living and maintenance costs. When a large number of North American delegates returned in September, they were able to work with Board on developing vision and skills: Barbara and Louise led sessions on Appreciative Inquiry and Maryanne brought bookkeeping software.

Follow-Up Projects

Be sure to check out the inspiring array of activities the Ghana delegates from North America continue to spawn and nurture.  They have formed Ghana Together to continue to support this powerful work.

Follow Up Projects in Axim (WHH Children’s Program to support the orphans, Sanitation Station, Water System Extension, Women’s’ Microfinance)

Other delegate initiated projects in Ghana: (Konongo Library Project, Appreciative Inquiry, Life Story Project)

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Take a Journey of Discovery

What is it like to be a citizen diplomat? Or an active peacemaker? And to meet your global neighbors? As a GCJ delegate, you’ll be part of an exciting adventure in sharing, learning and building. We call participants delegates because they have a role larger than themselves.

GCJ is built on a sustainable “ripple-effect” model, designed to extend the benefits beyond each individual’s experience. As a delegate, you are asked to commit to sharing your journey with your home community and encouraged to find ways to continue your connection with the host country community.

What are some of key criteria for becoming a GCJ delegate?

• We encourage you to seek sponsorship by an organization. This could be a community group, professional association, business, religious organization, school, book club, sports team or any other group whose members would like to learn from and support your journey, and help you create opportunities to share your experiences with a wider network.
• We’re looking for delegates who will be actively involved in planning and development. We have a range of committees and need lots of volunteer support to develop each journey’s program fully. We expect delegates to be active participants in the preparation.
• GCJ is all about diversity. We want a cross-section of America to connect with a cross-section of our host country, so we’re looking for diversity in age, gender, ethnicity and religious affiliation. We also seek a wide range of skills, interests and professions, to enrich the experience, widen the range of potential networks and contribute to cultivating follow-on projects. For example, each delegation might include someone from high tech, business, agriculture, public health, education or the arts.

What about expenses?

• We do not believe money is an obstacle.
• We encourage all delegates to fundraise for their program fees such that they are traveling on behalf of a larger community of interested supporters.  Thus the experience is shared by many.
• We provide materials and suggestions to help you with fundraising.

While preparing for our inaugural Nigeria 2005 trip, here’s what the U.S. delegates shared about their goals and purposes for the journey during one of our days of team-building and preparation.

• feel connection with other cultures
• bust out of old ways
• reconnect with the world
• be in service on behalf of the whole
• raise collective wisdom and action
• have a deeper experience of peace
• go deeper into the story
• humanize the news
• contribute to long term benefits
• plant seeds of transformation
• push out of our comfort zones
• challenge power structures (or do an end run around them)
• experience self transformation
• bring the experience back home in a meaningful way
• contribute to reconciliation through conflict resolution and transformation
• bring hope to a weary place
• defeat ageism – create new images of being 60 +
• realize potential – humanism for all
• be pioneers
• prove effectiveness of grass roots efforts and activities
• be inclusive and supportive
• create murals
• try out the model of GCJ – make the vision real
• tap into deep yearning
• be part of the evolutionary process
• create meaning
• connect with essence – call others to essence

Niger Delta 2005

Program
Itinerary
Logistics & Cost

Global Citizen Journey’s inaugural delegation took place in the creeks area of the Niger Delta. They went to the village of Oporoza, located in the heart of Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta which yields 80$ of the country’s wealth, yet poverty and illiteracy are widespread. The community struggles to provide education for village children, but it’s hard to attract teachers willing to face the challenge of teaching without books in a region with only about 40% literacy. The few families who are able send their children to boarding schools in the city, which is a great economic and emotional hardship. Check out our Photobucket site for photos from the trip!

• When: mid-November to early December, 2005
• Where: Village of Oporoza: Warri Southwest Local Government Area, Delta State, “creeks” riverine area of the Niger Delta
• Who: 19 American delegates and 21 Nigerian delegates from a diverse mix of geographical areas, tribes and religions
• What: Built the first library in the region and participated in workshops promoting cross-cultural understanding, compassionate listening, conflict resolution and leadership skills
• Local host organization: Niger Delta Professionals for Development (NIDPRODEV) in partnership with the Oporoza community

Itinerary

Our first stop was Lagos, where we visited government officials, enjoyed a dance performance by the National Theatre and other cultural sites. We took a bus to Warri via Benin City, and finally traveled by boat to Oporoza, including the following stops.

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• Badagry: one of the first slave ports on the African west coast. We visited the old slave quarters and the presiding king.
• Benin City: historic site of one of Africa’s strongest ancient empires, also famous for bronze casters carrying on a centuries-old sculpture tradition. The staff of the Oba of Benin (King) welcomed us with a traditional kola nut ceremony.
• Warri: primary city of Delta State; held a Town Hall which brought Ijaw-Itsekiri-Urhobo into conversation. The US Consul General flew in from Lagos to join and honor us; representatives from the governor and other state officials joined us

While in Oporoza, delegates were hosted in villagers’ homes. A typical day included:

• Working on the library and lunch with villagers
• Afternoon dancing and other cultural sharing activities, and workshops
• Evening meals together… and relaxing at Oporoza’s one bar

Learn more about Lagos.

Nigeria 2005 program.

Just as important as our community service projects were GCJ’s afternoon workshops, which wove in a variety of approaches to leadership and team building, processing, skill development, and sharing of our stories.

GCJ Delegates in front of the Niger Delta Friendship
Library in Oporoza.

• Compassionate Listening Training: Experiential activities to cultivate foundational skills and compassion in daily life essential to peacemakers. Compassionate Listening is a powerful tool for reconciliation. It can be used to initiate peace-building efforts for conflict at the personal, community and global levels, offering insight and healing for all. Skills include listening, centering, visualization and cultivation of compassion for self and others.
• Conflict Resolution and Communication Skills Training: “Needs-based” conflict resolution, based on the “win/win” approach and materials developed by the Harvard Negotiation Project and Nonviolent Communication (NVC). Most importantly, we learned from the successful experiences of NIDPRODEV peacemaking in the Delta region.
• Dialogue: Building skills of inquiry rather than persuasion, delving into meaning and uncovering assumptions. These were practiced in a variety of forms, including Conversation Cafe, which uses a talking object.
• Diversity training: Principles of diversity and cross-cultural communication, including Systematic Oppression theory and exploration of ageism, sexism and racism. Also included is Popular Education, which allows people to tell their own stories as part of creating history together. Interactive theater games were used to explore issues non-verbally, without languages.
• Guest lecturers from the region: Nigerian politics, history, arts, culture, sustainability and ecology
• Open Space sessions to discuss issues around gender, power, economic justice, and whatever else challenged delegates

The circle work was designed and facilitated as a partnership between U.S. trainer Susan Partnow and Nigerian peace mediator Joel Bisina.

Logistics and Cost

Delegates were responsible for their own travel expenses and arrangements from the U.S. to Lagos, Nigeria, as well as visas and inoculations, at an estimated cost of $1500-1900. Delegates were able to work with our travel agent –who helped find the best rates– to coordinate with these arrangements, even if they chose to use frequent flyer miles or a different air carrier. GCJ provided orientation materials that include resources and recommendations on travel details. All delegates were greeted in Lagos by a GCJ representative. We provided detailed information and instructions on preparing for travel to Nigeria dates, flights, visas, inoculations, insurance and costs.

Program fees of $2950 included in-country travel, hotel stays, home stays and meals in Oporoza, side trips and afternoon workshops. Program fees also covered costs for Nigerian delegates and a portion of the library building materials and expenses, which were shared between GCJ and the local community. Please note this did not include costs detailed in the travel section above.

Fundraising. Some delegates paid their costs out-of-pocket; most needed assistance. GCJ provided materials and support to help delegates with fundraising. We were fiscally sponsored by The Compassionate Listening Project, a 501(c)(3) organization, so donations by individuals, businesses or other groups to cover program costs were tax-deductible. In addition, delegates were eligible for a matching program through their employers.