In July of 2024, I traveled to West Africa with a fellow teacher friend (Kendria Russell), my sister-in-Law (Sondra Rothermel), and my two nieces. After researching my ancestry, I was very curious about Ghana. I wanted to learn more about the Transatlantic Slave Trade, but I was most interested in interacting with the people of West Africa. I asked the tour company (Uprise Travel) if we could visit a village school during our tour.
It takes months of planning for this type of travel, and as it got closer to our departure date, I started thinking more about the visit to the school. I asked questions about the age group of the children and about any items we could bring for them. The tour guide mentioned toiletries and shoes. I then asked, “But what do the children want?” She mentioned sports jerseys. I was told that the students would be middle school ages and that we would have a class of approximately 40 students.
Kendria and I set out to purchase items that we could easily pack to distribute to the class. I also purchased backpacks and secured a good haul of gently worn sports jerseys that I planned to use as prizes. Fortunately, we had more than enough as we found ourselves distributing our goodie bags to kids we met along our travels, long before we arrived at the school.
We visited the Ampenyi M/A Basic School in Elmina, West Africa, towards the end of our trip. We were thrilled that these students spoke perfect English. I came prepared to teach a simple marketing lesson on Logos. When I asked the students if they knew what a logo was, they initially said no. I then flashed pictures of logos, and they knew every single one, except McDonald’s (which, surprisingly, has not yet penetrated the country). We absolutely loved our time with the students, and it was by far the highlight of our visit. As we were leaving, I asked the head teacher how we could continue to support the school. He mentioned the school needed a “Canteen” because the students did not have a place to eat.
Building a structure like a building was never a thought in my mind. I was thinking more along the lines of school supplies. He said he had some preliminary plans and asked if he could send them to me. I said sure, but didn’t think much of it. Shortly after returning to the States, the head teacher reached out and sent me the plans with a proposed budget. It was a large number, but it was in cedis (Ghanaian currency). When I converted the original number, it equated to approximately $3500.00 U.S. dollars. This figure was surprising. I had completed fundraisers with my DECA students, and we had raised almost double this amount selling popcorn. Suddenly, the idea didn’t seem so far-fetched. My friend Kendria was on board from the beginning. I just needed to vet this idea before a few more people.
I held a dinner party at my home and invited some of my family and friends, and I asked them to all wear African attire. During the party, I showed everyone a slide show of the pictures of my trip to Ghana. I then told them about my idea of forming a non -profit organization to complete “Global Acts of Kindness”. I explained that I already had an idea for the first act. I told them all about my experiences at the Ampenyi School and described the “Canteen” project. Everyone thought the idea was a good one and fitting for me because it included both Children and Epic travel experiences. During the dinner party, I passed out pledge cards and raised a good part of the funding needed to begin the project. I formed a small board of directors with very passionate leaders, and we were a go for the “Canteen Project”. We added a few more details to the original plans, and we were still well below $6K.
While we were developing the structure of the foundation, we decided to add a youth leadership component to the foundation. The Youth Cohort would be trained to organize and develop the initiatives of the foundation. I had always dreamed of traveling to exotic locations with my former students. I would often joke with them in class, mentioning that if I ever won the lotto, I would take them on a 30-day learning experience traveling around the world. I loved sharing my traveling experiences with my students. Most of them rarely traveled outside of their zip code. Travel is the best way to broaden your mind and immerse yourself in the learning experience. I was especially thrilled about the opportunity to extend my teaching platform to my former students. They still had so much to learn from me.
During the first months of forming the GAK Foundation, we had begun funding the “Canteen Project”, selected our first Youth Cohort, and started making travel plans for the July 2026 trip to Ghana. We were in constant communication with the school head teacher during the construction phase. He sent reports, videos, and pictures after each distribution. The building was constructed by local tradesmen of the village. When the building was almost finished, the decision was made by the school leaders to use the building as a multipurpose building. Fortunately, we had included tables and benches, electricity, and water (plumbing) in the final build-out plans.
Naming the building was especially rewarding. I wanted to choose a name that was befitting of the project. I searched for African names that meant gathering place, community, and finally gift. The Akyedze Center is supplied by grace and shared in unity. The name is perfect for this first Act of Kindness. In August of 2025, the building was commissioned. After watching all the videos of the celebration, our hearts were smiling over all that had been accomplished in such a short time by a small group of women and our faithful friends and families.
We are scheduled to travel in early July with a group of 12 people. Our travels will include a return trip to the Ampenyi M/A Basic School, and we are thrilled to be visiting our new friends in Elmina, West Africa. We are currently researching our next Act of Kindness and will be recruiting for the next Youth Cohort in August of 2026.
Dr. Elanza Pitre-Wilson, Founder and Executive Director of the GAK Foundation
