AT: Hello tell us about yourself and your journey
MM : My name is Michael McGaskey and I am a Black American Man currently living in Ghana. I have been volunteering and working for myself for the last 5 years and at some point I decided that African Americans can do something better with all the money we are throwing away in the United States. I was working in a rural community of Ghana’s Eastern Region with no lights or running water when began coming up with a plan.
AT: In which areas do you want to get involved in Ghana?
MM: Black engineering students from American Universities can come to focus on rural engineering and bringing in sustainable engineering projects to improve the lives of Ghanaians. We want to target infrastructure issues with sustainable solutions.
Volunteers should be between 20 and 30 years of age on average. The staff should be one married couple in their 40’s as we don’t want to promote the culture of separatism that is often displayed in America. The mission is to blend our cultures forming genuine bonds.
AT: What would be the program in Ghana?
First week would be sustainability training starting with Ibrahim of Green House Ghana in Karaminga and Tamale Implements Factory of Northern Region. Then we would make our way to Eastern Region to the actual village.
Profile of Ibrahim: Green House Ghana Ecotourism tours and a campus built of only local materials. The campus also relies solely on solar electricity located in Northern Region Ghana.
Profile of Tamale Implements Factory: for the last 30 years this organization has made man-powered simple machines for agriculture. This will be the sustainable African engineering experience.
We then push forward to Ahinkwa. This is the home of the Krobos who have been living without electricity and running water since I visited them in 2012 and after I left in 2014. They have light poles lying on the ground where the government was supposed to put into place electricity five years before I came in 2012
During the 2nd week, we then began constructing wind mills with specific mechanically inclined persons of the community shadowing us for maintenance purposes after we leave. By this time we should have procured an appropriate and safe home battery as well as turbines to convert the wind to electricity.
The 3rd week could be the busiest where all our ideas are together and we are able to see the finish line with our goals for the week.
The 4th week we would talk about what is working and not working for the community before we break.
We then take our students to Accra to make their flight back to the United States
Equipment needed: Any solar electricity parts and wind electricity parts we can find to get started.
Michael McGaskey (mmcgaskey@gmail.com)
Author of Black Tribalism Worldwide. Vol. 1
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