Waymaker Wednesday: Joanna

We are lucky to have angels like Joanna in our midst—people who live solely to make their communities a better place.

Here, on the left, is Joanna with some of the children in her school. Joanna started her school here in Ghana in a rural area where children just stayed at home, and the illiteracy rate is very high. She said her school gave the parents the freedom to go to their farms during the day to make enough money and make a living for their families. Not only did she provide an education, but she was dedicated in keeping them healthy.

The school is plagued with illnesses and absences all because of poor sanitation and lack of proper washrooms. In Joanna’s own words, she said, “We have to walk 20 minutes from the community bore hole to fetch clean water. We are only using 2 local toilets for 200 children; this isn’t good enough.”

She's continuing to add washrooms and toilets, because she said, “I have realized that when parents drop off their kids and see that the environment is clean, and there’s clean water to drink, they are more encouraged to send their children here. And seeing that children are healthy and not getting sick, encourages other people to bring their children to school as well.”

Joanna is just not making a way for their children to be educated, she’s also making sure that they are healthy, their parents work, and the people in the community can lead their life with dignity and hope.

This video is a selection from Opportunity International's Virtual Art Gallery: Portrait of a Waymaker. Explore the entire gallery here.