Steph and I had a great trip to Ghana. It was so good to see our friends and family again. We have missed them so much. But we weren't ready for the challenges of going back and seeing our loved ones suffering so much. It's a 3rd world country, times are always difficult, but this was so much more, so unexpected. Well, I guess if I was honest, it was so unexpected because I still look at life through the eyes of an American.
See, when the government shut down the schools, businesses, restaurants, basically our normal way of life, we as Americans, were given financial assistance to help ease the burden of COVID. And with life trying to return back to normal, sure we have all had to make sacrifices: longer lines in checkout, restaurants short on staff, grocery shelves not as fully stocked; but we have mostly banded together and pressed on. For many of us, COVID has already become a distant memory. Now our thoughts are focused on the coming tide of inflation.
Once Steph and I made it to Ghana through the hassle of our current global airline "crisis," we stepped into a country gasping for air as the floodwaters of COVID begin to recede. Ghana had a similar response to COVID, as they did what many 3rd world countries did, looked to the developed countries for guidance on how to handle the pandemic. And just as the wealthiest of countries are struggling with inflation, the countries that were already struggling to survive, are now swallowed up in it. For America inflation comes as a rising tide, for Ghana, a tsunami.
The price of fuel has more than doubled, and that has caused the prices for everything to jump. Prices of their daily staples: bread, produce and bagged water; have almost doubled. For a people trying to enter into the automotive age, the hope of traveling, let alone driving oneself, is now out of reach. Farmers, already starving from a poor harvest last year, are left with no options but to try and manage. Work in the city, even if they could afford to get there, is nowhere to be found.
To see my people, my loved ones, suffering like this is beyond words. Last year it was easy to evaluate each request for help and prioritize the funds, but now it seems so insurmountable. Yet, in this difficult time, Steph and I were greatly encouraged by the response of everyone in trying to band together for a solution. They weren't just wanting a hand out, they were wanting a hand up!
If there ever was a time for our NPO to exist, this is it! Our mission at the Goals For Life Project is to Equip. Strengthen. Thrive. Now is the time for us to come along these people and equip them with the training, with the tools, to not only find success for themselves, but for their families and communities. People are traveling great distances for the life saving treatments they are receiving at the 2 medical clinics we are funding. Already hundreds of lives saved through malaria treatment with thousands upon thousands of doses left to give. And the Tampe-Kukuo community is excited to receive the financial windfall that comes when professional teams will rent the field that we are currently constructing. Coaches for the Wickham FC and the Gangdu FC are working hard at producing quality players that will break out into the professional arena bringing financial stability to the players and the community.
As difficult as this trip was in seeing our loved ones suffering, we are so excited to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We know it will take a lot of work, and a LOT of money, but we are so honored to be apart of a solution to a global crisis.
コメント