New Jersey Trinis make a difference in Ghana

By Denise Balgobin Wednesday, March 28 2007
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A New Jersey couple, originally from Trinidad and Tobago, has devoted their lives to assisting families in needy communities to achieve independence and self-sufficiency.

Lenny and Joy Noel Grant formed Loving Hands of Hope (LHOH), a non-profit organisation in the US, and an NGO in Accra, Ghana, with the commitment to nurture the academic potential and social development of the economically disadvantaged who might not otherwise have access to such aid.

In Trinidad, they both belonged to Mt Carmel Sabbath Keepers Baptist Church, Union Road, Marabella, and migrated to the United States many years ago.

Joy said that LHOH’s goals include a variety of responsibilities such as constructing schools and providing families with educational opportunities to acquiring aid from governments to improve infrastructure and subsidisation for education in rural areas, as well as promoting farming and many other things.

They wrote more than 300 letters to Fortune 500 companies but did not receive even one positive reply. They did, however, get a lot of criticism and negative statements, but were determined not to be discouraged.

All of their funding comes from their own personal accounts since their experience has been that people are hesitant and not interested in doing anything positive in Africa.

The Grants have a particular interest in the village of Gowenu, Ghana, which they first visited three years ago.

After seeing the plight of people there, they were moved to do something to help. They have since shipped many used and donated items, and even used their own funds to purchase pens and pencils for the children.

The couple described the village of Gowenu as being about four hours by car from Accra in the district of Sogakope in the Volta Region. The area is made up of one main village with numerous hamlets around. During the rainy season it is virtually impossible to commute due to the lack of drainage, vast flat land and muddy terrain.

Basic amenities such as electricity, a school, pipe-borne water, a medical clinic, or a marketplace for trading/bartering goods are not available. The nearest school is in a neighbouring village about two and a half miles away over open land without any infrastructure. The main occupations of the villagers are farming and fishing, with the Volta River being their only source of water supply for cooking, drinking, washing and farming. The people belong to the Ewe Tribe and their language is Ewe.

The Grants developed a structured plan to assist the village. The first phase was the construction of a school to accommodate about 65-75 children with a fully-staffed nursery and a functional library. They are now in the process of having the school (which was officially opened earlier this month) registered with the government of Ghana in order for it to qualify for educational subsidies.

To promote healthy living standards, the couple undertook the task of having the first well drilled in the village, providing the community with access to a clean water supply.

They also started a farm within the community. The villagers are now involved in planting high-protein beans and vegetables, and pump water from the Volta River to the large farms with the aid of two water pumps donated by LHOH.

Another prospective project is a poultry farm whereby the villagers will rear and sell the eggs and chicks and re-invest the profits in other ventures.

The Grants firmly believe that a comprehensive approach to providing for these poverty-sricken children and families will be enduring and effective and their mission is to promote hope, stability and dignity in communities where education still seems to be an unattainable goal for the impoverished.

Apart from Ghana, the Grants hope to spread their work to different parts of the world such as the Caribbean, Africa, South America and even more remote regions to carry on the same kind of work done in Gowenu.

Lenny said his aspiration and sincere desire is to have a steelband travel to Ghana to do several performances and promote Trinidad and Tobago culture.

Even though it is a thankless task, the Grants have a sense of self-fulfillment which is priceless. According to Joy, “We know within ourselves that we have touched the lives of the people of Gowenu — we have given them renewed hope for a brighter future, one filled with clean water and a free education that will open doors of opportunity for themselves and their children’s children.”

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