Ghana Health And Education Initiative, Humjibre, Ghana, West Africa

GHEI is a grassroots, community based non-government organization which trains community leaders in the village of Humjibre, Ghana so that they may be qualified to successfully manage the health and education needs of their village and shape their own future. In 2001, medical, social work and law students founded GHEI as a non-governmental organization (NGO) under the auspices of the International Federation of Medical Students Association, USA.

During initial assessment and planning in 2001-2003, GHEI created a timeline to enable community members to manage the organization independently after five years of external help. GHEI feels that this approach is necessary in order to create a sustainable program that can address the community's problems in a culturally competent and effective way.

However, GHEI's American and European staff will remain involved to the extent that they will continue to provide support and structure for the leadership in Ghana.

GHEI members in the US and Europe will continue to fundraise for the work done in the village, pursue collaborations with other NGOs, and send American volunteers at the request of our Ghanaian counterparts.

For the time being, one health program coordinator and one education program coordinator will continue to work with Clement; they will recruit and train local people who hopefully in the future will take over their jobs.

The implementation of GHEI's five year plan towards local sustainability began in 2003, with specific goals for each of the five years. The purpose of the first two years was to create a solid foundation for each sector, which was done by launching health and education programs, building a community center where programs would be housed, and building relationships and capacity in the village.

GHEI is currently in its fifth year (June 2007-May 2008), a time in which its focus is to emphasize the sustainability of projects and prepare the community for a reduced presence of overseas staff.

It now seems likely that the five year plan will be extended by at least one year to ensure that the program will continue to be as successful as possible. As the project continues, local leaders will evaluate the feasibility of extending projects into neighboring villages within the district.