Since 1994
Special Projects
With the support of several institutions and individuals, great strides have been made to connect with communities and people of diverse walks of life to undertake impactful projects and programs.
In 2007, Dr. Soaries made his first of many visits to West Africa at the invitation of the Ghana Baptist Convention, where he and his team connected with religious and traditional leaders, as well as statesmen. His host on that occasion and every visit since was His Majesty Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, the Okyenhene, ruler of the royal Akyem Abuakwa kingdom of Ghana.
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Liberia
Dr. Soaries has since traveled to several African countries including Liberia in 2012, where he held council with leaders of the Baptist church and the vice president of the country. dfree® Africa recently began conversations with the Refuge Evangelical Baptist Church in Naklay Town, Lower Johnsonville.
Botswana
In 2014, Dr. Soaries paid a courtesy call on the paramount chief of the Balete people of southern Botswana – the first woman to hold this title in the country’s history. She is a principled leader who fights the cause of women and children, helping to liberate them from abusive circumstances and empowering them with skills development. A relationship was established with the Botswana Stock Exchange during this visit to introduce the dfree® program to some communities.
Uganda
Dr. Soaries was also in Uganda in 2019 where he was the guest of His Highness Bishop John Wayabire, king of the Bugwere kingdom, and the first know African traditional ruler who is also the Bishop of a Christian church. At the 5th coronation anniversary of His Highness Wayabire, Dr. Soaries had the opportunity to meet the president of the country and hold council with members of the community, especially the Queen’s special women’s initiative that was providing skills training and livelihoods to women and girls in deprived communities.
Projects Underway
Skills Training Center for Kibi School for the Deaf
Dfree Global Foundation, Inc. and its partners have adopted and supported the Kyebi School for the Deaf since 2019. In a society where the disabled remain underserved, this school provides a haven where children with speech and hearing impairments receive elementary education through middle school. Beyond here, however, very few are able to acquire further education or the requisite training to launch a career.
dfree® and partners have committed to establish a training center at the school to equip the students with skills in catering, hairdressing/barbering, dressmaking/tailoring, leatherworks and kente weaving. This will ensure that the over 200 children currently in the school, and several generations yet to enroll will be guaranteed a lifelong career that will not only set them up for life, but impact their immediate and extended families, too.
In the first phase of this project, the Montgomery family of New Jersey, with some support from members of the dfree® Ghana2022 tour groups, have generously donated the needed funds to renovate and upgrade a dilapidated building on the campus.
In phase two, we are fundraising to equip and staff the facility to meet accreditation standards for a vocational training school.
Support for African Community Icons of Change
We continue to provide ongoing support for Mad. Evelina Tshabalala and Queenmother Nana Dokua in the form of cash and material donations.
2023
Medical Equipment for Abuakwa South CHPS Centers
dfree® Africa Foundation donated medical equipment in response to an appeal by the Abuakwa South Municipal Health Directorate. The equipment were distributed among Community-based Health Planning Services centers (CHPS) serving 5 rural communities of whom over 2,000 are children under the age of 5 and about 2,700 are women of fertile age – the demographic served by CHPS.
The Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Akosua Asabea, stated that acquiring the equipment could save the lives of several mothers and infants, as CHPS Centers provide the only access to healthcare in these communities. Municipal Health Director Rhodalyn Yamoah thanked dfree® Africa when she received the equipment which included adult scales and tared scales, digital blood pressure readers, no-contact thermometers, medical privacy screens, ambubags and fetal dopplers.
2022
Queenmother's Project
Help us raise $50,000 to support 100 women in the Akyem Abuakwa kingdom of Ghana with startup capital for their small-scale enterprises.
Please share this page with anyone you know who may welcome the opportunity to support this cause.
We will keep you informed of our work with the Queenmother and her beneficiaries. We welcome your questions and suggestions at ghana@mydfree.org.
December 2022
Joe Slovo Township, Cape Town, South Africa
Support for Evelina Tshabalala Foundation
Returning to South Africa for the first time in over 20 years, Dr. Soaries, accompanied by First Lady (Emerita) Donna Soaries and a team from Dfree Global Foundation, Inc. and dfree® Africa (Ghana and South Africa), spent an afternoon with Mad. Evelina – an icon in her underserved community who is using her talent and resources to train children in marathon running to keep them off the streets. Dr. Soaries made a lump sum cash donation to support her work, while Rev. Trevor Hyde of Berean Baptist, also on the dfree® team, donated money to buy shoes for all the children in the program.
October 2022
Kyebi, Eastern Region, Ghana
Launch of Sika App for Women in the Informal Sector
The Sika (money) app was unveiled at the 5th anniversary celebrations of Dr. Soaries’ enstoolment as Nkosuohene (chief of development). The app will facilitate the management and tracking of micro loans to support women’s entrepreneurial activities within Akyem Abuakwa kingdom. Beneficiaries will be required to take the dfree® for the Informal Sector course to learn basic money management and wealth-building skills. The app was designed and built by Tek-Devisal, a team of young digital entrepreneurs making waves in the field of technology in Ghana. The goal is to pilot the program in Akyem Abuakwa and gradually scale up it nationwide.
July 2022
Kyebi, Eastern Region, Ghana
Kibi School for the Deaf Infirmary
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was witnessed by several stakeholders including representatives of the Ghana Health Service, the Ghana Education Service, and the Municipal Directorate. The infirmary was jointly funded by Dfree Global Foundation, Inc. (Ghana2019 tour group), the Peace Corp and some individuals in the Kyebi community. It provides first aid healthcare for the over 200 children in the school who are hearing- and speech-impaired. The Ghana Health Service appointed a full time nurse to the infirmary to provide primary care for members of the immediate community. The chief of Kyebi, Osabarima Kwabrane (pictured in traditional royal robes) was the guest of honor.
June 2022
Tamatoku and Kunyenya
Dfree Gh & Zeta Collab
Members of Dfree Ghana collaborated with the Zeta Ghana chapter to teach financial literacy to the people of Tamatoku and Kunyenya in the Greater Accra region. This was done through a community outreach program, organized by the Zetas to explore key areas of health, girl child education, scholarships and provide free health insurance.
Participants were educated on how to manage their finances and create wealth. There were about 400 people in attendance, of which 70% were between the ages of 16 to 35 and could read and write. The remaining 30% were illiterate old farmers and petty traders. During the focused group discussion, the farmers and petty traders were taught using the local language while the youth were taught in English.
2021
Dfree Club Gh Engaging Market Women
The dfree Ghana club, using the traditional 12 Steps course, has developed a curriculum for the informal sector (market woman). This aims to educate market women on how to manage money, save, invest and build generational wealth. This program is in a pilot stage and will hopefully be rolled out together with the sika app launch.
This will be a fully taught class in local languages. We will begin this program with the market women in Kyebi and extend it across Ghana and Africa as a whole.
October 2019
Kyebi, Eastern Region, Ghana
Inauguration of Children’s Community Library
This free library serves elementary and middle school children in about 8 towns and villages. Dfree Global Foundation Inc. donated cash for furniture and 15,000 books to set up the library in the J. B. Danquah Memorial Center in Kyebi. The First Lady of the Republic of Ghana, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, opened the facility together with Queenmother Nana Dokua, and the King’s wife Nana Asabea. Students from 20 different schools attended the opening ceremony and were the first to sample the library’s offering.
October 2019
Asiafro Amanfrom, Eastern Region, Ghana
A Cafeteria for Akaa Community School
The Sheldene Millington Foundation provided majority funding with supporting funds from other members of the Dfree Global Foundation Inc. (Ghana2017) group to build a 200-seater cafeteria/multipurpose hall for the Akaa Community School. This building would provide shelter from the elements for the children to eat their meals, hold assembly and other gatherings. Dr. Soaries cut a ribbon to commission this facility in October 2019.
October 2017
Asiafro Amanfrom, Eastern Region, Ghana
Akaa Community School Playground
In 2016, Dfree Global Foundation Inc. visited the Asiafro Amanfrom village for the first time to explore partnerships with Lauren Grimanis Foundation which had built a school for the community – Akaa Community School. The project comprised a 6-classroom block, a library, male and female toilet facility and borehole wells that provided water for the entire community. During the visit, it was evident that the children lacked a play area and a cafeteria. Herbert and Jacqueline Gettyes donated funds to build a playground with a swing, slide, monkey bars and merry-go-round for the school. This playground was commissioned by First Lady (Emerita) Donna Soaries.
October 2017
Kyebi, Eastern Region, Ghana
Shalom Baptist Church Roof
Dr. Soaries, on behalf of Dfree Global Foundation, Inc. and First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens, donated money to roof the new building of Shalom Baptist Church. This support transitioned the church from worshipping in a tent into a brick-and-mortar building that had been under construction for a few years.