Dedication of Hazel’s Community Library

This is such an exciting time for the children of VIMA, and people of all ages in our surrounding villages! HAZEL’S COMMUNITY LIBRARY was dedicated in January 2022. The building will serve as a place for learning and gathering. With its doors open and bookshelves loaded with hundreds of books, the library being utilized every single day of the week!

Within the library, we now have MINNA’S COMPUTER LAB, which is a means of connecting our small village with the rest of the world through technology! The children of VIMA will use this wonderful facility on a regular basis for school work and communication with their sponsors, and the local school in Gbedome will also be able to experience all the library has to offer.

The library has been a dream since moving our campus to the village of Gbedome, and it came to fruition through a donation from Steve and Susie Portz, in honor of Susie’s mother, Hazel. Hazel was a woman of service. She loved tutoring young children, and this was a beautiful way to honor her memory and make a massive difference in this small corner of the world.

The dedication of the library was a newsworthy event with dignitaries from all over Ghana. Dancing, singing, and many speeches filled the afternoon, followed by a tour of the beautiful and colorful Library.

In addition to the Portz family, a sincere thank you to Amy & Barry Fieldman for honoring Amy’s mother, Minna, with the computer lab. A Special Thanks to Bishop Gorman High School for the donation of over 30 large boxes of books that provide reading opportunities for every age level. Books were also provided by the wonderful people involved in a giving group, called “Fiesta of Friends”. As a side note, Fiesta of Friends also provided the funds to build both the Boys and Girls new dorms on the VIMA campus.

Great things are happening at the VIMA Children’s Home! We hope you’ll one day join us!