Clement Quist Nsabaah, who became an invaluable friend and resource for me and Kaitlyn while we stayed in the village of Asisiriwa, has served as our Director of Operations there since 2016. He was our feet on the ground and eyes on the language arts center, even after his job transferred him to another town about forty-five minutes away. This year, Quist took the opportunity to move to the United Kingdom to be with his wife, Deede, who works there as a nurse. His commitment to Untold International is still as strong as ever (in his own words, “You will never get rid of me!”) but he’s unable to physically be in Ghana. Thus, Quist has moved to the role of Secretary of Untold Ghana, performing a myriad of administrative tasks from the UK, and a new board member has stepped up to fill his old role.
We are honored to have Akwasi Owusu (whom we affectionately call “Brakwasi”) join the board of directors as the Director of Operations, Asisiriwa. Brakwasi was born and raised in Asisiriwa, where he still lives with his wife, Ama “Hannah” Mpofowaa. Together, they have 6 children: Ophelia (25), Agyeman (24), Robert (22), Mercy (19), Agyekum (11), and Bernard (5). Brakwasi is a farmer: he grows plantains, cocoyam, cassava, maize, and chili peppers on his family farm.
Brakwasi is extremely active in his community. He serves on the Parent-Teacher Association, and I’ve seen him using the amphitheater at Kasadwini Atenaeɛ to convene PTA meetings. He’s served at the Committee Chairman of Asisiriwa for 14 years, leading a myriad of community development projects. Some of those which are still maintained and serving the community to this day include the building of three public KVIP (Kumasi Ventilated Improved Pit) toilets, a 3-classroom block for the primary school, the ICT center (computer lab, which we’ve helped with and is ongoing), a small canteen for women to feed the kids in the community, two school blocks that collapsed, and a market square for the market women (ongoing). Brakwasi is so highly respected in his role as Committee Chairman that when he tried to resign a few years back, the chief told him he wasn’t allowed to!
When I asked Brakwasi why he agreed to join the board of Untold International, he said it was because there was no one around to take up the mantle. He also was aware of the amount of help Untold was giving to the community and he didn’t want it to seem like the town was ungrateful and not taking interest in the project. He would like the whole community to get involved in the development that Untold is bringing to Asisiriwa—he sees it as a point of unifying the village and the communities around it.
Personally, I have immense respect for Brakwasi. He donates an incredible amount of time and energy to the betterment of his community. I’ve seen him stand up to scammers and bullies, and I’ve seen him welcome newcomers with gifts. He speaks politely yet plainly, unafraid of speaking the truth in his own mother tongue, Twi. He considers education extremely important and has been a staunch supporter of Untold’s work in Asisiriwa since we arrive in 2015—he was even featured in this video we made way back when we were laying the foundations of the language arts center, Kasadwini Atenaeɛ.
As the Director of Operations, Asisiriwa, Brakwasi will manage our employees at Kasadwini Atenaeɛ, oversee all maintenance on the building, handle some administrative tasks that have to be done in-country, and speak on behalf of the community of Asisiriwa to the Untold board of directors. Even though there are some hurdles—like the bad cellular reception in Asisiriwa and a language barrier (Brakwasi doesn’t speak much English)—I’m very excited to have such a local presence on the board, both for the exchange of knowledge and so that Asisiriwa has a vote in deciding what happens in their community and within Untold as whole.
Please join me in telling Brakwasi: Yɛma wo akwaaba ɛba Untold International! (We welcome you to Untold International!)
