Project:Ghana Update and A Few Thoughts

So, to recap, while we were in Ghana we were able to:

1) Establish the first Kingdom Hoops Basketball Team in Ghana, Africa


2) Begin processing paperwork to establish Kingdom Hoops Africa as an official NGO (non-governmental organization) in Ghana, Africa.

3) View, verbally commit, and secure 6 plots of land in the Takoradi area of Ghana through meetings with the chief who owns the land.

Once we returned from our trip, things kept rolling.

On Wednesday, January 13th, 2010 we received the official documents that Kingdom Hoops Africa had been approved to operate as an NGO in Ghana, Africa.

And, then, something VERY EXCITING happened! A family within the Kingdom Hoops program donated the entire $11,000 needed to purchase the 6 plots of land!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PRAISE GOD! We had all been praying so hard that God would help us to financially be able to move this project forward, and on Friday, January 15th, 2010 it was finalized that Kingdom Hoops now officially owned land in Takoradi, Ghana!

So, now we move into the next phase of the project which will be raising the funds to build the academy, school, & orphanage. There have been a few groups affiliated with the NBA that have taken an interest in Jake’s project, and they may potentially donate in the future. It’s been interesting hearing the phone conversations between Jake and the NBA representatives. More than once Jake has gotten off the phone with one of them saying that they are completely dumbfounded and impressed at how Jake has been able to get something like this going in Africa. Apparently many of the groups have specific people hired for the sole purpose of starting things like this internationally, but their efforts have failed.

I have some thoughts about this.

First and foremost, let’s be real. Without the hand of God in our project, none of this would have even started. We have been seeking His guidance and His plans and following His lead from the very beginning. And, that is the absolute only reason why our project is still standing and continues on. Below this, there are a few other insights that I have gathered through the process of carrying out this project that I think would be worth pointing out.

To begin, it has been my observation that oftentimes many of these other groups who have tried to start things like this are coming into Africa intending to do things the American way. For lack of better words, their mentality comes across as ‘I’m rich. Let me go and save Africa.’ What I’ve learned by watching Jake is that in Africa, if you want your project to be successful than it MUST BE respected. To gain respect, you must go through the processes the ‘African way’. This means actually taking the time to get to know the African people, becoming a student of the people and culture, and figuring out who you can trust and who you can’t. If this is not done, you will easily be taken advantage of and all your plans will fizzle.

Here is what I mean. During our trip to Ghana, two sides of the Ghanaian people emerged. One side was welcoming, grateful, yearning. It was in the handshakes and smiles as we met everyone from chiefs, to government officials, to pastors, to friends, to children. “Akwaaba!” they would say (which means welcome). “How are you enjoying your stay in Ghana? When will you be coming back? You know you are always welcome here.” Towards the end a few different sets of people that we had been working with said “You are one of us now.” Everywhere we went we were always included in cultural/traditional ways. We were never excluded just because we were foreigners. This was all wonderful.

But, there was also another side to Ghanaians that showed through. And, I think this side is a common find in impoverished countries. Here is one example. One afternoon we had been walking out in the heat and I was thirsty. Mark walked us up to a street stand of someone selling bottled water. He bought me one, and we started to walk away. Then the lady who was sitting at her mango stand (which was right next to the bottled water stand) got very angry at Mark because he did not also buy a mango from her. They proceeded to argue, and the lady was saying ‘why would you buy a water from her, and not also buy a mango from me?’ Of course, I knew that the reason was because I was thirsty, and I didn’t want a mango. But, the mango stand lady felt like we also owed her a purchase. It was interesting. Another example of this came at the end of our trip. We were meeting with Mark at the hotel in Nana Yaw’s town. By this time, word had gotten around that we had plans to build an academy, and that we were partnering with Mark. Well, on this particular afternoon, Jake and Mark had left to walk around the town and view some basketball courts. I had stayed back at the hotel, helping to clean up from the party that Esi had thrown us. It was then that two guys from Nana Yaw’s town came up to me and said that Mark was not a good person for Jake and I to be working with. For about 5 minutes they gave me their opinions about Mark and Mark’s team, and that his basketball plans were not approved by the government, etc. (of course, little did they know that we had already met with government officials who had approved and spoken well of our plans) Their last words to me were “If you want to start this basketball academy, build it here in our town. We have connections with the government, and we have the right people for you to work with.” After I listened to them, I felt this sickening feeling in my stomach as my mind filled with worry about their words. Doubts began to creep in about Mark. Immediately I went to the hotel room to pray about what I had just heard. Before I was even finished praying, I knew. I knew that these comments were stemming from jealousy. Jealousy that we were not building the academy here in this town. Jealousy that we were not working with the people here. Jealousy that our money would not be spent here to make this town a better place. I was also quickly reminded that I had fervently prayed for months before this trip. My specific prayers were that God would lead us away from working with anyone on this project that would take advantage of us, or sabotage our plans, or be in it for themselves. I prayed that God would lead us to the exact place, and the exact people that He wanted us to work with. I had prayed these words countless times before our trip, and I knew that I had no reason to doubt Mark. God clearly led us to him, and I could be confident in the Lord’s guidance over the words of these men.

What I am saying from these examples is that you must take as much time as it takes to understand the culture and mindset of these people before you begin to undertake a project to help them. It’s just too easy to be taken advantage of when you are in an unknown place with a completely different set of ‘rules’.

On top of all this, our experience with Ghanaians also made it clear that they were also studying us! Can we be trusted? What are our motives? Are we in this for ourselves? Do we have genuine hearts that want to help them, teach them, take their best interests in mind? Are we going to hire Africans to help with our project, or are we going to bring in our own people? Are we saying empty words, and making empty promises? If these questions are not thought out as top priorities, Africans will not respect you. This reminds me of a story that our pastor told us about the Zambian orphanage our church built. I’ll make this story quick. The Hope Children’s Center in Zambia provides a safe home for orphans in Sirenje, Zambia where basic needs are met and spiritual guidance is given. When it came time to build the center, a team of native Zambians was hired by our church to build the center, and they were taught how to do it by men from our congregation that volunteered to go and put their skills of construction to work. So, local men from Zambia were hired and taught how to build. Once the center was up, native men and women were also hired to plant and harvest the land, care for the orphans, teach, and work in the kitchen. Not only this, but our church is also raising up Zambian pastors and helping to start churches in the area. I think it was a few months after the Hope Center had been up and running that another organization had come in with plans to build an orphanage somewhere in the area. I believe it was the District Commissioner they had approached with their plans, inquiring about purchasing land, and this organization was told a big fat NO regarding their projected plans. They could not receive the land and their plans were basically ‘hog wash’. Next they were told to go and watch how the Hope Center was run! They were told that this was the way to do things in Zambia. WOW. I think this story really illustrates my point that time must be spent on forming plans that are going to gain the respect of the natives and empower them, all the while remaining mindful of their values and needs. This undoubtedly means taking the time to establish relationships in-country.

I think that is the end of my thoughts on this for now.

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http://hopechildrenscenter.blogspot.com/