Rise Up Kubugu

2000, our first trip to Kubugu, a small village in NE Ghana. Six of us traveled to help missionaries construct their home. That was the beginning for Winkie Laforce. She has visited Kubugu 15 times since that first year.

Together, with Worldwide Endeavors, and local support from family and friends, she has established a project called “Rise Up Kubugu.” Each visit she is laden with school equipment, books, solar panels, soccer balls and many items for the classrooms and village. This is an unique project due to its location. Kubugu is located in a very rural area of Ghana, and very difficult to get to. Once there, one sleeps in huts and eats the “free range” animals. The people of this Village never say “no." They are so resourceful, and accomplish so much with true determination.

The contact in Kubugu is Pastor Peter. In 2000 we used ham radios to communicate with him, and now, thanks to advance technology, Peter texts messages and uses What’s Up for current communications.

In Sept. 2014, Pastor Peter and his wife Stella founded a “pre-school.” This has been an overwhelming success. Preschools are very rare in this part of the country. The first year over 30 preschoolers, from all religious dominations, Christian and Muslin, attended, and the parents were extremely supportive. The children learned to read, learned about nutrition and health, manners and respect, sportsmanship and fair play, and positive social skills. The students rank very high in national tests.

The success morphed into the building of a new grade each year. In 2024 they completed a jr. high school, thus grades ranging from preschool to jr. high school. This truly is a remarkable undertaking.  Financial donations are wired to Barclay’s Bank in Bolgatanga Glen. Peter accounts for every dollar he spends. Winkie reports quarterly to the Worldwide Endeavors Board.

In 2019 with support of US pickleball players we created a pickleball court that was a terrific success. We believe it was the first court in the country-amazing!   We are currently raising monies to assure teachers get paid on time, (a challenge in the governmental schools), the children are fed daily, and the supplies are sufficient to support the curriculum. An interesting tidbit is the current teachers were students in 2000, our first visit. 

We appreciate any donations. The relationships created over the years have been magical. Please join the Kubugu family.