Help send Donald to University of South Wales
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Donald Apeligiba Amuah (Dada) is a bright, mature young man with amazing raw potential. Reaching his potential in poverty-stricken Ghana is virtually impossible. We were very fortunate to meet Dada on several trips to Ghana working with Routes to Africa.
DADA’S EDUCATION
Dada completed high school and attended University for Development Studies in northern Ghana. In 2017, he graduated in the top 5% of his class with a 4.03 GPA and a BS in Accounting and Finance. After graduation, he completed a year of National Service in Ghana.
From a professor: “On the basis of my four years knowing Donald, I believe his academic potential is very high. It is needless to comment on the relevance of his chosen course to the development of his country. Your post graduate program will go far to open new avenues for him to contribute to new policy options facing Ghana and our people.”
Ibrahim Muazu, PhD, Lecturer -- Department of Banking and Finance, University for Developmental Studies
During his time at University, Dada was committed to giving back through various community service projects. He tutored middle school students, recruiting classmates to assist him, helping them raise their math scores by 50%; he helped fundraise for a new auditorium at his university; and participated in community clean up in his native Northern Region.
CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS
Over 90% of the Ghanaian labour force is employed as domestic workers and peasant farmers. Most of these workers are not on payrolls, and therefore are not recognized by the financial system in Ghana. As a result, they have no access to credit or social insurance. Dada intends to study finance and investing and the potential for impact investing as means to improve the dire financial circumstances of this sector of workers.
Professional jobs are extremely scarce in Ghana. Dada, a college graduate, was excited to land a job in sales and marketing in Accra, the country’s capital city. This is a rough summary of his finances:
Salary $171/month
Rent & Utilities $82/month
Food $54/month
Transportation $36/month
Total expenses $172/month
Dada’s basic expenses exceed his income. This is representative of the Ghanaian job market for young college graduates. It is virtually impossible to meet basic living expenses; money for further education is simply not part of their reality.
DADA’S PLAN
Dada dreams of pursuing a masters degree in finance at the University of South Wales. He desires a rigorous education so he will be equipped to find gainful employment and support himself. Dada wants to improve the lives of others, too. Dada is hard-working, self-motivated and selfless. He wants to pursue further education so he can return to his village and apply his new skills and knowledge toward improving the financial opportunities for many. He wants to make a difference.
In his own words:
I see a lot of opportunity to help a large, underserved population in rural Ghana, bringing my growing expertise to help this community of very low wage-earning workers. I will encourage individuals to form collaboratives, to increase their slim profit margin by sharing overhead.
I plan to apply my new skills and knowledge to help tackle poverty and income inequality in rural Ghana, particularly among the many domestic workers and peasant farmers.
I would like to conduct research on effective and efficient methods of investing in a third world country, and how this can help rural Ghana. Studying in the UK will enable me to network with a diverse group of students, so I may return to work in Ghana with a broad group of colleagues to whom I may turn for advice and other forms of support. When I have established my employment in Ghana after graduating, I would like to begin studying to become a Chartered Financial Analyst.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Expenses for the one-year Masters program at University of South Wales are approximately $37,000 (US). We have donated $17,000 to date. If you are able to help Dada continue his education, please donate here. We know Dada, and he can make a difference.
You can make a difference -- all donations, large or small, will help.
Since 2008, Chris, Joanne and Len have been actively engaged in helping Ghanaian students pay their secondary school education fees through their small NGO, Routes to Africa.
Chris and Joanne with Dada in ancestral village, December 2018
DADA’S EDUCATION
Dada completed high school and attended University for Development Studies in northern Ghana. In 2017, he graduated in the top 5% of his class with a 4.03 GPA and a BS in Accounting and Finance. After graduation, he completed a year of National Service in Ghana.
From a professor: “On the basis of my four years knowing Donald, I believe his academic potential is very high. It is needless to comment on the relevance of his chosen course to the development of his country. Your post graduate program will go far to open new avenues for him to contribute to new policy options facing Ghana and our people.”
Ibrahim Muazu, PhD, Lecturer -- Department of Banking and Finance, University for Developmental Studies
During his time at University, Dada was committed to giving back through various community service projects. He tutored middle school students, recruiting classmates to assist him, helping them raise their math scores by 50%; he helped fundraise for a new auditorium at his university; and participated in community clean up in his native Northern Region.
CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS
Over 90% of the Ghanaian labour force is employed as domestic workers and peasant farmers. Most of these workers are not on payrolls, and therefore are not recognized by the financial system in Ghana. As a result, they have no access to credit or social insurance. Dada intends to study finance and investing and the potential for impact investing as means to improve the dire financial circumstances of this sector of workers.
Professional jobs are extremely scarce in Ghana. Dada, a college graduate, was excited to land a job in sales and marketing in Accra, the country’s capital city. This is a rough summary of his finances:
Salary $171/month
Rent & Utilities $82/month
Food $54/month
Transportation $36/month
Total expenses $172/month
Dada’s basic expenses exceed his income. This is representative of the Ghanaian job market for young college graduates. It is virtually impossible to meet basic living expenses; money for further education is simply not part of their reality.
DADA’S PLAN
Dada dreams of pursuing a masters degree in finance at the University of South Wales. He desires a rigorous education so he will be equipped to find gainful employment and support himself. Dada wants to improve the lives of others, too. Dada is hard-working, self-motivated and selfless. He wants to pursue further education so he can return to his village and apply his new skills and knowledge toward improving the financial opportunities for many. He wants to make a difference.
In his own words:
I see a lot of opportunity to help a large, underserved population in rural Ghana, bringing my growing expertise to help this community of very low wage-earning workers. I will encourage individuals to form collaboratives, to increase their slim profit margin by sharing overhead.
I plan to apply my new skills and knowledge to help tackle poverty and income inequality in rural Ghana, particularly among the many domestic workers and peasant farmers.
I would like to conduct research on effective and efficient methods of investing in a third world country, and how this can help rural Ghana. Studying in the UK will enable me to network with a diverse group of students, so I may return to work in Ghana with a broad group of colleagues to whom I may turn for advice and other forms of support. When I have established my employment in Ghana after graduating, I would like to begin studying to become a Chartered Financial Analyst.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Expenses for the one-year Masters program at University of South Wales are approximately $37,000 (US). We have donated $17,000 to date. If you are able to help Dada continue his education, please donate here. We know Dada, and he can make a difference.
You can make a difference -- all donations, large or small, will help.
Since 2008, Chris, Joanne and Len have been actively engaged in helping Ghanaian students pay their secondary school education fees through their small NGO, Routes to Africa.
Chris and Joanne with Dada in ancestral village, December 2018
Fundraising team: Bierbrier/Bauer education team for Donald (3)
Joanne Bauer
Organizer
Cambridge, MA
Chris Bierbrier
Team member
Len Bierbrier
Team member