MOOSOMIN — Dr. Diana Austin grew up in Moosomin and has had a major effect on the lives of several Ghanaians through a charity she set up while a medical student.
Every year around Christmas, Kids in Ghana provides an update on the lives of four people supported by the program in the African nation, plus a reminder of how people can assist the project through a Christmas card campaign.
The epic journey began back in 2004 when Austin spent six months at the Ashan Children’s Home in Ghana. That initial trip impacted her greatly, and she was able to return five years later with money raised in Moosomin, intended for the baby's ward at Ashan.
“When I got there, I realized it wasn’t going to end up being a baby’s ward,” Austin explained, adding that at the time, children’s homes across Ghana were faced with a mandate to decrease the number of kids in such facilities.
This meant that while some individuals didn’t meet the requirements to continue living in children’s homes, they also did not have a reasonably safe alternative living arrangement; essentially falling through the cracks.
“Thomas Antwi, Emmanuel, Victoria and Agyenim were identified as the four from Ashan Children’s Home who had potential, but didn’t have safe places or didn’t have places that they were going to go to where they were going to end up receiving education and the basics that they needed,” Austin said.
A plan quickly came together to set up a one-year solution while longer-term plans could be worked out.
“It all kind of came together right as I was about to leave Ghana, so it was quite stressful, but we had enough money at that point to find somewhere where they could live and pay someone to watch them, get them in school, have enough to cover their food and clothes and everything for the first year,” Austin explained.
As the plan evolved, the Kids in Ghana program purchased a house and hired a housekeeper to cook and take care of the kids.
Things ran smoothly during those initial years, and Kids in Ghana operate as an outreach project of St. Mary’s Parish. That is, until 2013 when changing guidelines for Canadian charities created a stumbling block, and while the project attempted to apply for their charitable status, the Canadian Revenue Agency ultimately rejected the application as they do not accept organizations that focus on helping specific individuals.
That didn’t stop Diana.
“Initially, we did all kinds of fundraisers,” she said, listing shea butter lip balm sales, selling books and other projects to raise revenue. “Through this process, I was going through medical school, and then medical residency. As things got busier for me, we kind of pared down the different activities that we were doing for fundraisers.”
What’s happened in 2023
So what’s new in the lives of these initial four Ghanaian kids? A lot!
Agyenim spent quite a bit of 2023 in Moosomin, arriving back in April and just recently returning to Ghana.
“As the process was years in the making, it truly felt like a miracle when he arrived weeks later in Saskatoon,” Austin says “The months in between have been a blessing, to say the least.”
Agyenim was granted a seven-year multi-entry visa to Canada and plans for something more long-term to allow him to work in the future are being made. For now, he will escape the cold Saskatchewan winter, but Agyenim will return in the spring.
Victoria is in her fourth and final year of her Bachelor of Science degree in Family and Consumer Science at the University of Ghana in Accra. She’s looking forward to completing her studies in August and spending more time with her nine-year-old son, Oliver.
While young Oliver shares the same interests as many boys his age (football, bicycles and playing with cars), he has aspirations of becoming a doctor. When asked about what he wanted for Christmas, he listed a remote control car and a suit!
Emmanuel continues to seek consistent employment. He was working in construction, but the work and pay both proved too inconsistent. In May, he enrolled in driver’s education, planning to become employed with a ride-share company. However, he was not able to lease a car through the company and has resumed his job hunt.
“He perseveres despite the disappointment, continuing to search for a position that will provide stability and at the very least, a paycheque for work done,” says Austin.
Thomas Antwi is looking forward to his Dec. 9 wedding to fiancée Edith. The couple has been engaged since late 2021 and Emmanuel, Agyenim and Victoria will be in attendance standing up for Thomas. He runs a fabric-importing business (Tomasani Enterprise) and Edith is waiting on a nursing posting.
Support still crucial
While the “kids” are no longer children, Kids in Ghana continues to support the four adults. “The reality is that their needs don’t become less,” Austin said. “The economy and the social systems in Ghana right now are really challenging. You can’t just go out and get any job, it’s hard to find even the most basic jobs.”
“It was really a response to a need,” continued Austin. “And then through it, we’ve been making it up as we go along and trying to do good for these five individuals and trying to figure out how to give them opportunities that they wouldn’t have otherwise had.”
Austin is grateful for the continued support from people over the years, noting how impactful the change in the lives of these five Ghanaian people has been due to the kind hearts of people in Moosomin and area.
“The fact that people even still care to read and to be engaged with us, it really means a lot. And I think it also means a lot to them,” she said. “The support from the World-Spectator and the coverage has been vital. I’ve sent Agyenim home with copies of the articles from the World-Spectator to share with everybody. Knowing that someone across the world cares or knows who you are means a lot because they grew up in a society where they don’t have that family support. So the fact to know that there are people in Moosomin and in the surrounding communities that care and know who they are helps them get through their struggle.
Currently, the primary method of raising funds is through the Christmas card campaign. The cards themselves are a gift; a donation made to Kids in Ghana in someone else’s name, and that person receives a beautiful Christmas card.
“People basically send the money and the name, and then my mom will send out a card to that person,” Austin said.
Donations via e-transfer along with the recipient of the Christmas card can be sent to Diana’s mom, Maggie, who is in charge of the financial end of things at [email protected], or if people prefer to send a cheque it can be mailed to Box 1407 Moosomin, SK S0G 3N0.
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