Last year, Tay and I met Peace Corps Volunteer Carl “Ka” Allen in Northern Ghana, in the village of Nakpanduri where Carl was living and where Tay and I were guests of Chief David Kansuk Laari. It was a classic encounter in the Chief’s “palace,” where we watched World Cup soccer and drank beer under a starry African sky. Well, Carl is still in Ghana and he — and the girls of Nakpanduri — need your help. For a number of reasons, educating the world’s girls is probably the single most effective way to improve the quality of life and eradicate poverty, which is why giving a helping hand to an ethical charity will benefit girls in Ghana who need the help to better their future. It is important to think about people who are less fortunate than yourself. So this project will have far-reaching and long-lasting outcomes. Donate Now! or learn more from Carl himself–>
“I’m seeking funding to finish construction of a girls’ dormitory at the secondary school where I taught for the last two years in Nakpanduri in the Northern Region of Ghana. The facility will house 80 girls, some of whom currently live in a borrowed facility far from the school grounds which they are being forced to vacate; others stay in rooms in houses in town where they’re overworked — all of them need a new, safer, and more educationally supportive place to live and they need it immediately. I am staying in Ghana as a Peace Corps Volunteer Leader for the next year and will see the project through to completion. I hope to have it finished by March 2008.”
http://ghanagirlsdorm.blogspot.com/
You can also donate directly using a credit or debit card through the Peace Corps website at:
https://www.peacecorps.gov/resources/donors/contribute/projdetail.cfm?projdesc=641-235®ion=africa
The site shows that I need to raise $9,959.00 – but it’ll actually take a little over $11,000.00 to finish the dorm. For some reason, the proposal request was reduced from when I submitted it to Peace Corps Washington until it appeared on the web. As donations come in, the “Amount Needed” figure on the site will be reduced until it hits zero. If you come to the site and you find it no longer there (hopefully it’s been filled), I ask that you email me directly carlallen55@yahoo.com or call my parents, Ben and Kristine Allen at 763-537-2506 or at bguthrieallen@comcast.net and we’ll find a way for you to help.
TOP TEN REASONS TO DONATE TO THE NAKPANDURI GIRLS’ DORM:
10. Carl wants to finish by March 2008
9. Carl can’t access any of your money until the whole request ($11,600) is filled.
8. Carl’s birthday is November 15th – All I want for my birthday is to finish this dorm!
7. Christmas is coming up! – All I want for Christmas is to finish this dorm!
6. Hannukah/Kwanza/Festivus/Thanksgiving/New Years/Halloween are coming up! – Give Carl money!
5. It’s super fast, easy, and tax deductible!
4. If you’re not yet a “blogger” let Carl’s blog be your first! www.ghanagirlsdorm.blogspot.com
3. The community and PTA in Nakpanduri have really tried and put in 100% of their available resources!
2. This is an amazing way to give – none of the money goes to administrative costs, and Carl (who you know and trust wholeheartedly) is accountable for every cent!
1. 80 girls in Nakpanduri, Ghana need a place to sleep like NOW!!
For those that wish to donate, it seems to work best if you use the link at the top of my blog (www.ghanagirlsdorm.blogspot.com) rather than going through the Peace Corps website – sometimes parts of it go down or are under construction.
I’ve discovered that Peace Corps does NOT make donors names available to me once they’ve donated (despite the check-box on the site that makes it seem like I will be alerted of your donation). I would like to send pictures and more personal Thank you’s to donors, so if you’d like me to know you’ve donated, please alert me via email. Otherwise, you’re free to remain anonymous and to check the blog for updates.
Let’s build a girls dormitory, people!!
Sincerely,
Carl Allen, PCVL
Tamale, N/R
Ghana West Africa
