Mr. Sylvester

Mr. Sylvester Adu of Ghana’s Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) spent five weeks in the U.S.  in early 2012 and visited several treatment centers where he studied the potential long-term benefits of formal recovery programs. He studied the Recovery Dynamics curriculum at the Kelly Foundation in Little Rock, Arkansas, and met personalities at the Embassy of Ghana.  

Dr. Eugene Dordoye

Dr. Eugene Dordoye completed his ten-month course on Drug Abuse Treatment and Prevention at Johns Hopkins under a Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship U.S. State Department. In June he returned to Ghana to play an important role as a board member of Hopeful Way Foundation. Dr. Dordoye traveled to several treatment centers where he learned first-hand the treatment philosophies of facilities such as The Healing Place (Raleigh, North Carolina), Martha Education Fund, The Extension and Willingway Hospital (Georgia). At Ghana’s 55th Independence Anniversary Dinner Dance in Washington, D.C., he spoke on the role of the House of St. Francis as one of the long-term solutions to addiction in Ghana.  

Recovery Dynamics’®

Recovery Dynamics’® will be used as the treatment model at the House of St. Francis. Recovery Dynamics® is an in depth study of the book Alcoholics Anonymous as a treatment program consisting of 28 classes and 32 assignments. The Therapeutic Community approach will be incorporated for peer-support where more experienced persons in recovery assist newcomers. The house will additionally use peer counseling and community meetings.

The Texas Tech and Georgia Southern Universities

The Texas Tech and Georgia Southern Universities sent ten students and four faculty members to Ghana form May 17 to June 3, 2012. The Hopeful Way Foundation hosted the group. They went to secondary schools, churches, the Addictive Diseases Unit, hospitals, recovery facilities and spent time at the House of St. Francis. The visit was simply a great one and created the basis for a continued relationship between young people in recovery in Ghana and the U.S. Emily Eisenhart of Georgia Southern University said that ”everything went so well in Ghana, and we all agreed that this was an incredible and life-altering journey for all involved. I feel so blessed to have been a part of it!” The 12 visitors stayed with four Ghanaian families in Accra and at the Oyarifa Oxford House.  Kristen Harper says that The Center for the Study of Addiction and Recovery of Texas Tech is “excited and humbled to work with the Hopeful Way Foundation and their faith and devotion to provide service.  The benefits to our students who moved throughout the country with them is immeasurable. We are looking forward to the next stages of our relationship.  

Mr. Larry Gaines

Mr. Larry Gaines, president of the Kelly Foundation, was in Ghana from August 15 to 30, 2011 where he introduced “Recovery Dynamics” to hundreds of Ghanaians. Mr. Gaines says, “It does my heart good to come home to Mother Africa, and to share my experiences, strengths and hopes. I want to return each year to Ghana to help make the House of St. Francis a model for recovery facilities in Africa.”  While in Accra Larry met with personalities at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra, the Narcotics Control Board and the Ministry of Health.  

Mr. Byron Merriweather

Mr. Byron Merriweather spent five months in Ghana in 2011 and is on ten month stay until February, 2013.  He is developing more Oxford Houses, heading up the House of St. Francis and carrying 12-step recovery.  He says, "I want to continue my work in Ghana to assist in the development of the recovery movement and to do my part in establishing transitional recovery housing in each of the ten regions of Ghana and throughout the African continent.” He adds, "Further development of AA, Al-Anon and NA meetings, as well as, 12 step/sponsorship training and development is needed to galvanize recovery in Ghana.”