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Litchfield County Times 2008: Woodbury Church Group Works in Ghana
WOODBURY-Helping to provide a quality education and a better quality of life is the mission Southbury resident Jay Hockenberry accepted when he traveled to the small village of Awombrew in Ghana.
Awombrew is an agricultural village just outside Accra, the capital of Ghana. It has no septic systems and no running water. There is no electricity in 95 percent of the village. Mr. Hockenberry showed photos of children without shoes living in small huts. Signs of malnutrition are obvious.
But the villagers are gracious and honest and eager to improve their lives. Mr. Hockenberry and others from Woodbury United Methodist Church are dedicated to helping them do just that.
In 2004, according to Mr. Hockenberry, he met Joseph Ewoodzie, a minister and Director of Mission Activity for the New York Conference of the United Methodist Church. He convinced Mr. Hockenberry that if he really was interested in helping someone who truly needed it, he should come to Ghana. "I went back to Woodbury United Methodist Church. I indicated to them that in 2006, I was going to go to Ghana and I was wondering if anybody was willing to go with me," said Mr. Hockenberry. "As a result, in September of 2006 eight of us went, and I believe we were the fifth or sixth group that passed through that Mr. Ewoodzie had taken to this particular location in Ghana. We just basically fell in love with the people and started from that." What Mr. Hockenberry's group found was a school building with three rooms and one other building that was under construction. "What we did in 2006-we basically worked on building and finishing this school building," said Mr. Hockenberry. "Our team continued construction and making cement blocks." Mr. Hockenberry's goal is to build a school complex for both the children and adults in the village. The school buildings will consist of three rooms with approximately 40 to 50 students in each room. A roof for the second building was installed in January 2007. The school was dedicated in February 2007 with 150 students in attendance. The third building has not been started yet. A facility for storing equipment, office space and food supplies is also to be part of the complex.
"We started digging the footing for this storage facility. When I went back in 2007, I was absolutely pleased this school building that we had worked on was totally completed and dedicated and there was 140 kids going to school that had never been to school before," said Mr. Hockenberry. Desks and books were contributed by the Woodbury United Methodist Church, along with funding to continue the storage facility construction. Villagers provided labor and a local mason was hired for skilled applications. Most of the walls for the storage facility were completed by September 2007. Masonry work was done in October 2007 and a roof was completed in December.
Because of Mr. Hockenberry's generosity and drive to improve the village, villagers named him chief of development and his wife, Rae Ann, was named the Queen Mother.
"He is actually like Oprah Winfrey but not quite. He has invested time and his money in the attempt to transform the lives of very poor needy people in a small village," said Mr. Ewoodzie. "He and his wife are very compassionate. They would be good examples of many who would like to participate in transforming lives through education and not just sending money out there, but they actually are getting to work themselves and working with the locals."
Mr. Hockenberry's dream is to install electricity in facility.
"The idea is to continue the education by putting electricity in it. We now have the facility to do adult education if they put electricity. To date the only people in Ghana that get educated are the children, and there is still a need for over a hundred children because there is no room for them and that is what we are working to do," said Mr. Hockenberry.
According to Mr. Hockenberry, because of his and the group's efforts this village was willing to work to improve its stature. The government in Ghana recognized the efforts by providing the school children with a food program in which each child would get one good meal a day.
Mr. Ewoodzie explained that Ghana is a beacon of development in Africa, having been able to transcend so many social and economic problems in order to bring hope to the people.
"They are not just passive participants, they are actively involved in sustaining the development of their own lives and community," said Mr. Ewoodzie. Two other buildings still in the works are a nursery or pre-school for children and minimal housing for teachers and their families. The nursery is funded by the Woodbury United Methodist Church, and the foundation was built in October 2007.
"As it stands now, our church is the only church involved and that is fine. But if it wasn't for the money we were able to send, they wouldn't be able to continue and it would have just come to a screeching halt," said Mrs. Hockenberry.
Besides creating an education complex for both the adults and children within the village, Mr. Hockenberry is looking to create a cottage industry involving the creation of wooden pens.
The industry would utilize the native African hardwood. Craft Supplies of Utah contributed more than $500 worth of kits and supplies, and the Woodworkers Club in Norwalk contributed tools and equipment to complete the initial supply package. They also provided a new jet mini lathe that is to be shipped to Ghana.
"The cost to produce a pen is zero because everything has been donated," said Mr. Hockenberry. "The pens will come back here and I will attempt to sell them through the churches-not only our church but other churches in the immediate area. Every cent that comes through this goes back there ... ."
Mr. Hockenberry initiated the project on his last trip to Ghana in September, when he brought the supplies and taught pen turning to Joe Mensah, a Ghanaian cabinetmaker.
"Africa has some of the most gorgeous hardwoods in the world, but to date they have no skills and no ability to utilize it, all they do with wood right now is export it. To start something in a small agricultural village to allow them to build something people will pay money for is a new concept for them," Mr. Hockenberry said.
Upon anointing him chief, a villager offered Mr. Hockenberry and his wife her children to bring back to the United States for a better life. "All the work that is there the villagers don't expect to gain anything from it, they expect their children to gain from it. All of their work is not for themselves it is for the betterment of their children," said Mr. Hockenberry.
To obtain funds for the effort, the Sunday school has had a toy sale, the women from the church have held bake sales and had a quilt show. The church also holds an annual golf tournament to raise funds. Mr. Hockenberry is planning to return to Ghana in September, and would love to have people participate.
"One of the things about the mission and the United Methodist Church is the idea that we're connected with people throughout the world, and the idea of not just charity but actually creating relationships and opportunities for people to be empowered," said the Rev. Kristina D. Hansen of the Woodbury United Methodist Church. "Justice is a very important piece of the United Methodist Church. The fact that these folks will find themselves empowered is much more important to us as United Methodists."
The Woodbury United Methodist Church also participates in other outreach activities including Habitat for Humanity of Greater Waterbury, Greater Waterbury Interfaith Ministries, Community Council of Woodbury, Wheels for the World and the Naugatuck Valley Project.
To make a donation to the School Building Project in Ghana or for more information, contact Mr. Hockenberry at 203-262-6664. Donations may be sent to Woodbury United Methodist Church, 3 Church Street, Woodbury, CT 06798. ©Litchfield County Times 2008 |
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