Have you ever had that feeling that your life was marked with a purpose? One moment to another, all linking to a greater good? That’s the life story of Kofi Johnson and one of the reasons Tifie wanted to support him and his dream of giving back to the school he grew up in, in Accra Ghana. Kofi is from Alpine Utah, adopted from the Peace and Love orphanage when he was 15, twelve years ago.

Kofi knows what life is like for the students at the school, and understands firsthand how this place can make all the difference for children who have nowhere else to go. His own mother passed away when he was just six and he survived on his own before finding his way to this school.

“Growing up, I was always put in a leadership role in my orphanage. I was one of the older kids and that comes with a lot of responsibilities. Of the 66 kids in my orphanage, 15 kids (including myself) were adopted. This helped me understand that I was adopted for a reason and it wasn’t a mistake,” Kofi says.

For the past three years, Kofi returns to Ghana to put on sports camp, remodel the orphanage and support the needs of the Graceful Grace school. This year, Kofi raised over $26,000 from friends and family for the 300 students at the school. All of that money was spent in Ghana to remodel each classroom, provide new desks, chairs and bookshelves, install hand washing stations, updated cooking area, and a new playground.

Healthy Habits & Flexible Goals in Humanitarian Trips

Kofi spent time in each classroom, reminding them of the blessing of their new facilities and the importance of caring for their school. This reminds us of Nana Prah’s commitment to cleanliness in Assin Kushea, just a few hours away. Two great Ghanian minds who think alike!

“I believe that having a clean environment is very important to human society and to children. With the money from our donors, we were able to help students and teachers organize each room with cupboards and garbage cans to promote a tidy environment.”

Kofi Johnson

While he was there, Kofi spoke with teachers and students about the importance of respecting themselves and their surroundings. From reminders of hand washing during Covid-times, to having nurses talk to each classrooms about health concerns, to personal development and self-esteem, Kofi is instilling the values of paying attention to the mundane minutia of daily thoughts and habits that end up creating the world we live in every day.

 

As often with these international humanitarian trips, the plan and the actual work look different than expected. Kofi had a great plan for how he wanted to help and how he saw that taking place. But of course, once arriving, the reality of the situation is often different, especially after a year away and a year of quarantine during Covid. 

 

The roofs were in far more disrepair and he had to budget more money to fix each roof before they could rebuild the desks. He had set aside money to upgrade the kitchen facilities but the cooks were adamant about continuing to cook over their open fires and keep things as they were. Kofi honored their request and was able to deep-clean their kitchen area and adjusted the work plan to what they wanted. Flexibility and cooperation is key for a successful project. 

Students came back into session before Kofi returned to Utah. They were excited to see new painted murals, a fun new playground, and new desks. Teachers and students sent a big ‘thank you’ to the donors through videos on instagram and in a signed letter from the school officials.

Extreme Home Makeover – Kofi’s Edition

It seems that whenever we have an open heart to help others, the opportunity will present itself. One day in the market, Kofi saw Esther Nartey and her family living in a run-down shed.

They had laborers and money for the supplies, and decided to surprise the family with a new home. They built a simple 10×8 structure with windows and a secure door in just a few days. Some might look at the structure and think it’s hardly an upgrade since it’s still a one-room living situation. However, based on the environment, Kofi and Esther wanted to be careful to fix the concerns that she had with her current structure (no locking doors, no window for ventilation, cracks in the patched walls that creepy crawlies could get into) without compromising her safety and visibility in the area to theft and unwanted attention. She was grateful to Kofi and his friends for quickly helping out her and her family.

Sustainability and Community Involvement

Kofi wanted this trip to be as sustainable as possible and one of his commitments was to invest into Ghanaian workers to fulfill the projects at the school. In the course of the four weeks that he was there, he hired 8 carpenters, 6 painters, 2 plumbers, 12 cleaners, 3 cooks, 2 electricians, 2 welders and 3 masons to complete the work at the school. Supporting local craftsman and businesses is essential to sustainable humanitarian work.

 

The importance of having local community support in any project is key to its long-term success, as well as the emotional stability it provides students to know that their community wants them to succeed. Kofi values the importance of the local community supporting their own youth — through sports, leadership opportunity, scholarships and awareness. In 2020, he was able to put on soccer and basketball clinics in the community and do a community-wide clean up of a local basketball court.