May 29, 2011

Dear Friends,

Summary of Mission Work in Ghana from January 2011 to May 25, 2011

Greetings to all of you from Ghana and St. Louis, Missouri!

Yes, Kirt and I are back from the mission work. We returned on Thursday, May 26, 2011 to a cool weather of 56 degrees in St. Louis to my surprise. God indeed has done marvelous deeds again. We set up 3 new community libraries in the following towns in Ghana: Nobekaw in Brong Ahafo Region, Jirapa and Gwollu in the Upper West. In addition to the above libraries, we renovated the second floor of the Local Council Building in Kukurantumi, my home town, and transferred into it 12,000 books from the first library in our family compound. To date Books For Africa Library Project has set up 51 community libraries in every Region of Ghana, West Africa. Primarily we give thanks to Almighty God who has done such 'Great Things'. Our gratitude also goes to all of you, our donors, supporters and volunteers who have been with us throughout all these years. Thank you.

To expound on the work in Ghana, we left for Ghana in early January, 2011 with our oldest grandson, Kwesi Bromley. First we renewed our non-profit certificate in Ghana, and then, traveled to Kukurantumi. Usually, the first week in the house is used to clean and mop all the dust that had accumulated in our absence. Having done with household duties, we made contacts with possible communities we had been corresponding with in regards to setting up community libraries and made arrangements for them to come and meet us in Kukurantumi. Next, we went to Accra and met with a local book publishing company and bought 1,840 brand new Junior African Writers books with funds from The Chen Yet-Sen Family Foundation, Hong Kong to be distributed for reading clubs in 23 of the 51 libraries.

In early February, 2011 we were joined by Sr. Marian Boberschmidt, O.S.F., a friend and a member of our parish, St. Pius V in St. Louis to help with the mission work. On February 11th we welcomed about 50 people from 27 towns to our annual in-service at Kukurantumi. At the workshop, we trained the attendees in organizing reading clubs in their libraries with the newly purchased Junior African Writers' Series books. Over the same weekend, the new libraries came to pick up the books which would be setting on their shelves.

With the workshop over we started our trek to set up the new libraries. We filled our Toyota SUV with our belongings and spent 3 weeks on the road with Sister Marian and our grandson. Everywhere we went we were met with warmth and enthusiasm as we worked with the people of each community shelving donated books, training librarians and finally handing over the new libraries to the people. There was joy and celebration at each town as God was being glorified in the work. We returned to Kukurantumi to make preparation for Sr. Marian's return to USA. She spent 6 weeks with us.

The last part of the work was the renovation of the Kukurantumi Local Council building. We have always wanted to see the library in Kukurantumi transferred out of our home compound and into a more central location. With God's grace the Chief of Kukurantumi and the Local Council agreed to donate space on the second floor of the centrally located Local Council building. Then, we were able to get help with a donation from Sr. Marian and from Rev. Jeff Hall and Dr. Rieker of Cox Chapel, Dallas Texas to hire the electricians, carpenters, masons, painters and floor tilers to do the renovation. In addition, our local Chief Nana Daasebre Boama Darko II authorized us to organize a Board of Trustees for the library, and to hire and train workers to manage it. This was the last part of our work in Ghana this year. On May 14th, 2011 the New Kukurantumi Community Library was inaugurated and handed over to a newly instituted local Board of Trustees. We are thankful indeed to God and to our benefactors who helped us make this transition come true.

In between the setting up of the libraries, we continued our involvement with alcohol and drug addiction recovery in Ghana. Each year many people, especially the young, die of alcohol and drug abuse. Kirt, a friend named Dan, his wife, some recovering people and I have been trying to bring awareness of this national problem to anyone interested. We organized information programs in Kukurantumi and at the Central Regional Government Hospital in Koforidua, the capital of the Eastern Region of Ghana to disseminate and educate health workers on how to help patients that frequent their facilities with alcohol and drug related diseases. Many health workers from different institutions attended. This particular work has been slow, but our trust is in the Lord. Kirt has used his own money to build a house for recovering addicts. So far no one is living in it, but we did succeed in organizing a Board of Directors for it, and plan for its opening later in the year when we return to Ghana. There is another house in Accra built by our friend Dan and his wife and that is operating successfully now. With God's grace the house in Kukurantumi will have its own clients later in the year.

Those who gave us rosaries and eye glasses too, we thank you. Wherever we went we made sure people received these donations. God indeed has blessed this work. With love and cooperation from all of you, our benefactors, we plan to continue this mission.

We are planning 2 fundraising dinners this year, one in St. Louis on Saturday, June 25th, 2011 at St. Pius V Church, 3310 S. Grand Blvd, St. Louis starting at 6 PM in the Social Hall. Admission is free, but a free-will offering will be collected. The second fundraiser will be at St. Bernard/ St. Mary Church, Akron Ohio on State Street and 44 University Ave. The date for that will be Saturday July 16th in the Social Hall. The Largely Literary Theater Company run by Mark Dawidziak and Sarah Showman will perform. Again, admission is free but a free-will offering will be collected. Dinner will start at 6 pm.

Please, if you are unable to attend any of these but would like to help this worthy cause, could you be generous and give a monetary gift of $10, $25, $40, $100, $200 or more. Please make check to "Books For Africa Library Project" and send it to Kirt and Hilda Bromley, 3531 Humphrey St. St. Louis, MO 63118; or use the "Donate" button at left to donate on-line. God bless you all.