Vermont Cynic

Issue date: 4/4/06 Section: News

Media Credit: http://yonsostudents.tripod.com School children in Ghana need books to fill their library shelves

Everyone wants to help make the world a better place, but in college finding time can be difficult. UVM senior Nick Caccavo decided that instead of talking about how to help the global community, he would take action.

Caccavo, who had been active in ROTC, was feeling lost during his junior year and looking for a new direction. He decided to spend a senior fall semester abroad, in a unique location: Ghana.

The African country, situated on the Ivory Coast, is better off than most countries in West Africa, but it is still a poor state.

While attending a university in Ghana, Caccavo met a fellow student who was the organizer of the Yonso Students Union. The non-profit group had been formed one year prior by university students from the African village of Yonso (about the size of a small Vermont town).

The organization worked on community AIDS awareness, held local soccer competitions, and rewarded the children of Yonso for doing well in school.

While visiting Yonso, Caccavo found the main source of funding was from private patrons. Since secondary education is not free in Ghana, the patrons funding mostly goes toward tuition to secondary schools and for some students, college.

Realizing the need, Caccavo thought to himself "we have plenty of money in the United States." He began to work with other U.S. students attending the university in Ghana, to see how they could help.

Unfortunately, they didn't make as much progress as planned. But they did produce a documentary explaining the educational situation in Ghana.

After returning to the states, Caccavo discussed the Yonso Students Union with his girlfriend. Always involved in activism, she urged him to start a Yonso Project at UVM.

Caccavo made his main goal to provide the Students Union with funding. Through donation drives he has raised $1,300 dollars so far. Then Caccavo learned that the newly built library in Yonso was in desperate need. Since secondary education isn't free, the Ghanaian government's limited funding tends to go to urban schools.

Basically, "rural schools get shafted," says Caccavo. The Yonso Students Union had completed construction of a library, but the shelves were empty.

Continued...

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