My name is Sarah Staub and I was a Peace Corps Ghana volunteer from 2013-2015. I served in the rural community of Offuman in the Bono East region of Ghana. During that time, I worked with some local teachers to identify a few very smart, driven, low-income students in elementary and middle school who were likely to drop out of school after middle school due to the financial cost of high school and college. Together with the teachers, I met with these students and their parents and made them a deal: stay in school, keep getting good grades, and I would get the funds to pay for their schooling.

Today, a decade later, 2 of these students have completed college, 2 are currently in high school, and one, Lawrence, is beginning his 3rd year of college studying medical laboratory science at the College of Health at Yamfo. Since the college tuition is much higher than the other students’ school fees and I have yet to find full-time work, we are creating a GoFundMe in hopes of raising enough money to pay for his 3rd and 4th year of college. Each semester costs $500-$600, and then he will have some additional costs for final board exams, so we are hoping to ultimately raise $2700. Any amount above that will be used to pay the school fees of other children I sponsor.

Lawrence is 22 years old and is intelligent, kind, and driven. While in Ghana, I lived next door to his sister and mother, who were always eager to practice their English with me, talk about life, and watch any Planet Earth episodes I had saved on my hard drive. Lawrence’s mother is incredibly kind and always welcomed me and other children into her home. She makes and sells a fermented millet drink and has always pushed her children to get a better education and life. With a degree in medical laboratory science, Lawrence hopes to work in a government-run hospital helping to diagnose patients. He plans on working for a few years to save money and then ultimately hopes to continue on to medical school to become a surgeon.

If you prefer to donate directly via Venmo, you can send money to me at @Sarah-Staub-1.

I have added additional photos of Lawrence’s grades from last year, tuition fees and curriculum, and past receipts from paying his tuition. I will also continue to upload Lawrence’s receipts and grades here as well as receipts from when I send Lawrence money for his tuition.

Any amount is greatly appreciated!