Support Athletics for School for the Deaf in Ghana
I am appealing for funds to construct a volleyball court for a Deaf school in Ghana. I transferred to the State School for the Deaf (SSD) in 2002 after I lost my hearing, and the school has nurtured me and taught me to become who I am today. It was at SSD that I first began to learn sign language and develop my identity as a Deaf person. My experiences there helped me realize that deafness is not a curse. Before , I thought I was the only Deaf person in the world, but my education at SSD exposed me to others just like me all over the world. Seeing successful Deaf individuals and role models gave me a powerful feeling of optimism. After completing SSD, I proceeded to Senior High Technical School for the Deaf, in Mampong-Akuapem, and then furthered my education at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in the USA. I would never have gone to college had I not gone to SSD. When I graduated from RIT, I returned to Ghana as a teaching volunteer at SSD.
I am very much attached to my former schools in Ghana and I am so proud to give back to the people and places that have had such a big impact on my life. SSD has improved greatly over the years with many more educational facilities, including classrooms, a library, a clinic, a dining hall, and dormitories. Unfortunately, it does not have any fields where students can exercise or practice sports during their leisure time. Imagine being stuck in a boarding school with no sports or recreational facilities! During my time as student, we participated in various sports activities in district and inter-regional sports competitions, but we had to walk three miles away to use a neighborhood school field to perform training. I want to make it easier for the current students at SSD pursue their passion for sports.
Volleyball is the best fit for what the students and staff currently need, as there is only limited land available. Both the boys and the girls will be excited to be able to play. Eventually, we hope to gain enough land to build a soccer field and netball court. For now, however, the focus is on the volleyball court.
The school has allocated a piece of land to achieve this important milestone. I will need to raise about $5000 for the project. The estimated cost of building a volleyball court is GH28,190 -- which is equivalent to $4776. A total of $5000 would cover the cost and transportation of materials such as cinder blocks, cement, sand, granite, rods, binding wire, wood, nails, high quality paint, poles, a net, and volleyballs, in addition to the cost of labor.
It would be an honor for me to complete this project before I return to the United States in August. Your contributions will be greatly appreciated, and felt by so many. You are helping make a big difference in the lives of other people around the world. Thank you for your support.
