Slowly, but surely, Gzifa helps build African school

On her annual visit to the country in February, community leader Adjoa Gzifa, of Jamaica, who founded Future Scholars with her friend Barbara Bryant, went to monitor the school’s progress. Phase two of the project has begun and the outside walls and interior of the first floor will be completed over the next two months.

This year, the group collected $11,000 to put towards the total cost of the project, which will be approximately $230,000. They also brought school supplies and books for the students, as they do every year.

“We wish it could move faster, but realistically we need to raise more money in order for that to happen,” Gzifa said. “And it’s difficult to raise money in this economy.”

The new building will be located next to the Oshiyie D/A Primary School and accomodate students in kindergarten through ninth grade. It will also be equipped with the basic amenities the youngsters had gone without, such as electricity and running water.

Gzifa was joined on her trip by four Future Scholars board members and a friend, Vivian Glover, who made the journey for the first time.

“Every time we take new people, they are always moved by the project,” Gzifa said. “They see the children, and they want to do more and more.”

After completing the elementary-junior high school, Future Scholars’ next goal was to build a high school, but the government of Ghana has already taken on the project, Gzifa said, which will make it possible for the students to complete their entire education at one campus. For more information on Future Scholars of the World, call Gzifa at (718) 657-6266.