Some of G-WAG’s members donating their time at a previously-scheduled event.
On Friday, March 5th, the Ghanaian Women’s Association of Georgia (G-WAG) will hold a forum at Emory University. That forum will be part of a celebration of Ghana’s Independence Day. It will start at 5:30 p.m. and is expected to end at 11:00 p.m. According to G-WAG member Mrs. Dinah Quaicoe, This is going to be the first of its kind with great speakers. The goal is to engage our community by starting a conversation about some of the social issues that affect our community here in Georgia and back home in Ghana.
The forum will feature four speakers: Dr. Michael Aidoo, who works for the CDC and will speak on health with a special focus on issues related to HIV and malaria, Dr. Charles Appeadu who will discuss finance, attorney E. Selasie Adika who will talk about immigration issues and Dr. Kwesi Aggrey who will speak on education. Why were these people asked to speak at this event? ;These speakers were asked to appear because they are Ghanaians with years of experience and expertise in their fields of work, Mrs. Quaicoe discloses.
The theme of this forum will be Rebuilding Ghana’s Economy. To that end, the issues concerning health, finance, education and immigration will all be discussed. Why are these issues important? These issues are very critical for nation building and the way forward for building Ghana’s economy, Mrs. Quaicoe asserts. Ghanaians care about these issues and as such, starting a national conversation on these areas will pave the way forward for new ideas, suggestions and strategies. It also provides a platform for the talented in our community to share their knowledge and together, develop ways to help with the rebuilding of our economy.
The forum will include question and answer sessions as well as speeches and presentations. Admission will be free and light refreshments will be served. This G-WAG forum will be held in room W525 on the fifth floor of the Goizueta Business School/ Goizueta Foundation Center that is part of Emory University. The street address of the Goizueta Business School is 1300 Clifton Rd. and it is at the corner of Clifton Rd. and North Decatur Rd. in Atlanta.
On Saturday, March 20th G-WAG will have one of its regular monthly meetings 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. at 4600 Village Oaks Dr. in Dunwoody. What will be on the agenda? The March 20th general meeting is about our election, Mrs. Aidoo replies. After a two year term of office for our current officers, G-WAG is holding an election to elect new officers. This will be our first election since our inauguration and members are excited and enthusiastic about the election. G-WAG meetings are open to women who are Ghanaian, either by birth or heritage, or who is a friend of Ghana. Light refreshments such as cookies, slices of pound cakes and sodas are served.
According to G-WAG Vice-President Mrs. Agnes Barnor, G-WAG exists in large part because the many Ghanaians who are in the United States still maintain a profound connection with Ghana. Mrs. Barnor is very proud of her native country. Formerly known as the Gold Coast, Ghana was the first sub-Saharan African country to achieve independence from colonial rule, Mrs. Barnor relates. In comparison to other African countries, it has enjoyed relative peace over the last 20 plus years. The country is blessed with rich mineral resources such as gold, diamond and bauxite. It is also the world’s second largest producer of cocoa. Ghana boasts charming people of various ethnicities there are more than 50 languages and dialects spoken in the country. Of course, no country is perfect and G-WAG’s Vice-President sees room for improvement in her homeland in the areas of health care delivery, sanitation, education, efficiency and productivity in the public sector.
Ghanaians who live in the United States face some special challenges, Mrs. Barnor believes. A lot of Ghanaian professionals who obtained their education in Ghana usually have to retrain in order to compete with their American counterparts, she observes. Sometimes the high costs involved prevents them from retraining and they end up taking menial jobs in order to survive and also meet family obligations back home. There is also a large number of people who face the challenge of regularizing their stay as immigrants.
What does G-WAG President Pearl Aidoo see as the most important things G-WAG does? The association is still in its infancy stages, having inaugurated in April 2008, she answers. Over the last two years we have made great strides at building an engaged and more visible Ghanaian community in Georgia through various events. Some of our greatest accomplishments to date are the launch of a free business directory in September 2009 for the community (the G-WAG Pages), publication of a cookbook in December 2009, and the ongoing clothes drive to ship items to orphanages in Ghana in March. Our strategy for the next couple of years is to leverage our non-profit tax status to obtain grants and take on bigger projects to make an impact in the community.
G-WAG President Pearl Aidoo very much looks forward to her association’s meetings. Interacting with women from different backgrounds opens one’s mind to new ideas and ways of doing things, she comments. Our women are passionate about our objectives and their desire to effect change is quite infectious. Being a part of this group constantly reminds one to step out of their comfort zone and make a difference in the lives of the disadvantaged women and children in Ghana. It is fulfilling to know that our little contribution helps change a life.
To find out more about G-WAG, call 641-715-3900, ext. 48982, 404-202-9587 or 404-886-2652, email or info@ghanawomen.org or visit online at ghanawomen.org.
