At times in life, it takes little to understand what is right



"I will tell you how we came into being".

"At times in life, it takes little to understand what is right.
Other times it takes even less to understand what is necessary.
The idea of developing the project which became the Ofie Support Unit began in 2010.

In December of that year I accompanied some friends to a small village located in the northern district of Akwapim, not far from where I live.
The occasion was that of visiting a relative. We spent a few days in the village, and I noticed that many of the children there did not attend school.
During my stay I could not help but notice that it was not the only problem. The situation in the area seemed critical. I wanted to understand better so I spoke at length with the villagers, saw things through my own eyes and touched them with my own hand.
The main critical issues were, and are, represented by an insufficient health system and the lack of education.
On top of all this, the district schools did not have sufficient resources to make it possible to either teach or to learn.

I repeatedly asked myself what I could do to help these people.
I realized that it would be necessary to give life to a project of assistance and development, based on the needs of the people, of their community.
Three years later I met F. , an Italian volunteer who was staying in our home during his activities in Ghana.
I told him of the many problems I had encountered, and of my desire to do something about it.
After having visited the village together, we began to define the guidelines of a possible intervention. It was necessary to fill the void left by both the public and private sectors by way of an NGO.

NGOs have by now become a vital component of a civil society, and are important players in the fields of human rights, the environment, health and education, of collective development, even representing sources of encouragement from the bottom upwards to favour social reform and progress.
They are organizations able to connect with society and its institutions and through them, on national and international levels. An NGO would therefore be the ideal means of accomplishing something.

But it would have to be an organization enlivened by a new spirit of solidarity; an African body realized for Africa.
By Ghanaians for Ghanaians, with dignity and courage.
With a communal spirit and know how.
A small step forward, a great challenge.
A commitment born in Africa, but which is open to whoever wishes to imagine a new way to help others, and improve themselves and their own abilities, through building the foundations of a community: heath, education, training.

We have not only visited the village where this all began, but also another nearby community suffering from the same disadvantages and lack of resources. We spoke to the people who live there, the women, the village leaders.
In the end we went to the traditional ruler, Banmuhene, of Akuapem traditional area, Chief Nana Kwame Afari Bampo II, authority, institution and fundamental head of the community.
When I explained our intentions he gave us his enthusiastic support.
And to our great satisfaction he accepted a role on the Executive Council of the Ofie Support Unit. Over time other friends joined us.

Youth and experience, progress and tradition, community and openness to the world: numerous building blocks to build a foundation for our vision. So began this adventure which, step by step, aimed to bring the future to even our most difficult lands."

Ransford Ofosu Okai, father, husband, founder and Managing Director of Ofie Support Unit (NGO).