My story begins in the West African city of Lome, Togo, which lies close to the Ghana border. As a child, until I was nine years old, I spent my school vacations in my parents' villages in Atteteti, Ghana. Although it was so long ago, my experiences of village life have left deep imprints on me. I still have vivid memories of friends walking hours to come visit and of walking miles to get water and carrying it back on our heads. Although I experienced intense feelings of longing due to the isolation of village life at times, I love the peaceful ways of rural life.
Growing up as the daughter of a diplomat afforded me the privilege of going to exclusive private schools, and traveling and living all over the world, which transformed my life. By the time I was about 15, I began to see the inequities.
My realization and recognition of people and the world being one, removed mental barriers created by geographical borders and cultural conditioning and instead, gave me a foundation to understand that connections can be created across the world, that geographical borders and cultural rules and tradition need not keep us separated. In time, I began to see myself as a citizen of the world instead of a woman from a small country in West Africa. This is breeding ground that germinated the moving philosophy behind Building Community Bridges, Inc. (BCB).