If you aspire to do great things, I find it helpful to break down big challenges into smaller steps toward success.  Taking on a big challenge can be daunting, but it is achievable if you: set a big goal, take bold action and then find others that care.

Step 1: Set a big goal

In 2001, I set a goal to transform lives within the impoverished villages of West Africa with better access to quality education. I grew up in one of these remote villages, and if you were to visit you would see a familiar scene: extreme poverty, rampant malaria, limited access to healthcare and many hardworking people struggling to survive with subsistence farming or through aid from abroad.  Without adequate resources and a solid education, I fear that many could be trapped in a life of poverty. Education was the key that empowered me to escape a life of poverty and access the world’s opportunities. The solution to my goal was clear, and education was the key.

Step 2: Take Bold Action

I decided to take a bold step toward achieving my goal.  Taking all of the money I had in my pension fund, I funded a new brick building with six classrooms, an office and a computer lab to harbor over 500 children from preschool, 1st through 6th grade.  Big goals demand bold action.

Step 3: Find others that care

Big goals cannot be done alone.  Since I began, I gained support from family and several colleagues to formally establish the Akumaning-Brewu Foundation. As a team, we have furnished the school with, books, chalkboards, computer monitor/modem and additional supplies that directly impact the quality of education.  If you find others that care, it can act as a force multiplier – accelerating your path to success.

This is open invitation to join us on our journey to make a difference.