Running for Resources: Support Senase Schools

I had the incredible opportunity to spend four days during a field program on Semester at Sea in the village of Senase, Ghana, where I visited the Roman Catholic Primary School and Semanhyia American School (SAS). The SAS was founded by an inspiring local, Fred Benneh Frimpong. Fred grew up in Senase, a small village in Ghana with limited access to education. He walked over an hour to school each way and classes were held outside with a chalkboard under a mango tree. 

Since childhood, Fred had always dreamed of creating better opportunities for his community. In the spring of 2013, while giving three-day homestay tours in Senase to Semester at Sea voyagers, he met Barbara Allison, a lifelong learner. During their short time together, Barbara was deeply inspired by Fred's vision to uplift his community. A few months later, Fred was accepted into business school with a 50% scholarship and Barbara pledged to cover the remaining amount. Thanks to her financial support, Fred pursued this degree and came back home determined to make an impact. In 2015, Fred and Barbara cofounded the Semanhyia American School (SAS). "Semanhyia," translates to "What if we'd never met?" in Twi and honors the miraculous chance encounter that changed everything for Fred and Barbara. 

Almost ten years later Fred remains incredibly passionate about this cause. The SAS started with just two classrooms and has now grown to serve students from pre-K to grade nine with plans to expand. There are now a few hundred students enthusiastically receiving a quality education that would otherwise be unavailable. The lessons that I learned and the inspiration gained from my experience in Senase from meeting Fred to interacting with the children there has inspired me to support Fred’s cause. I am now raising funds alongside my first marathon, the Philadelphia Marathon on November 24, to give back to the school and the incredible children in the community.

All donations will go directly to Barbara and Fred's non-profit, the GodFreds Foundation, through a dedicated fundraising page for contributions from the Semester at Sea community. All donations will go toward purchasing classroom supplies locally in Ghana. Any amount will make a difference. Thank you for your support!