America Deserves A Raise

Have you ever been so blessed as to be able to watch an earth angel spread her wings?  Well, I have had this magical experience as I watch Melody (Mel) MacDuffee help a rural town called Somanya in Ghana.  She brought her formidable intelligence, personality, and talents from America to Africa to forge a better economy for the town.
A copy of Bead and Button magazine with information about Mel and her jewelry made its way from the USA to Ghana and resulted in a plea for help for the youth of Somanya.  Mel became involved with the people there after receiving an email from a village representative asking for her help in developing a sustainable production and marketing process for the community bead making activities and to teach them the western way of making jewelry.
Months flew by before Mel was able to visit Somanya.  Fundraisers and yard sales were held and donations were collected to pay for her trip.  Upon arriving, she was able to see how isolated the community was from the world at large.  Ineffective, or nonexistent, communications systems and lack of reliable transportation made this remote village extremely economically depressed.  It was beyond anything anyone in America can imagine; “desperately poor” doesn’t even begin to describe the situation. The prospects for many of the young people there were dismal in a community where many are struggling to survive by selling the amazing beads they’ve made for generations.

Seeing first hand how much need there was in that community energized Mel.  Now that there is an established income for some of the youth of this town, they are able to help support the merchants in the local areas, which strengthens the entire economy.  Securing a permanent site for manufacturing, expanding sales, and education are now the prime focus that will lead to economic sustainability in the future.  Although the work has begun, much remains to be done.
Mel would love to devote more time to this ongoing project. Currently, financial restraints limit her involvement. She is working a $10 an hour part-time job and relies on meager royalties from her craft books and magazine articles to cover living expenses.  Melody, whose simple needs are often back-burnered in favor of helping others even less fortunate, is the most frugal person. The expression “a rising tide lifts all boats” is certainly true in this instance because if Melody were freed, even temporarily, from worry about her own position, she would be able to be so much more effective in driving this project to the point of sustainability. As it is, her friends get to see so little of her. She rises early and works until she drops, pretty much every single day. I often worry that she is pushing herself too hard and would love to give her a raise so she’s able to devote herself to this task full time.
Thanks so much for this chance to help someone save the world one bead at a time.