Efforts to build medical clinic in western Africa started in Nyack

By GERALD MCKINSTRY
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original Publication: April 11, 2007)

By GERALD MCKINSTRY
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original Publication: April 11, 2007)

NYACK - What started out as a friendly conversation between a priest and a parishioner has grown into an international partnership to build a medical center in western Africa.

The Rev. Joseph Domfeh, a Roman Catholic priest from Ghana, came to the United States in 2001, in part to work toward a master's degree from Fordham University.

The 40-year-old, ordained in 1995 in Ghana, also was an associate pastor at St. Ann's parish in Nyack. There he celebrated morning Mass four days a week.

While in Nyack, Domfeh met Dennis Lynch, an attorney who attended service daily; the two often talked about their respective cultures and obvious differences.

Soon after, they collaborated and raised money for needed boreholes - deep water wells - that provide clean and safe drinking water to people in some rural areas of Ghana.

"People were dying of water-related diseases so to get this was a big relief," Domfeh said recently of illnesses such as malaria, typhoid, dysentery and intestinal parasitic worms. "It's one of our greatest needs."

They initially raised enough money to build several wells - each costing about $10,000 - but both knew that more could be done.

"The needs were much bigger," Domfeh said. "We had a responsibility to do more."

Ghana, a republic that this year celebrated 50 years of independence from British rule, has a population of about 21 million. Most Ghanaians are Christian, about 69 percent, and the government and church work together to address commerce, poverty and education.

Its economy, however, needs help. The average income is less than $400 per year, according to the Global Policy Network, and its rural areas rely heavily on sustenance farming.

Because of that, Ghana has some basic needs, both Lynch and Domfeh said. They include clean water, health care, education and medical clinics.

To help the Catholic Diocese of Sunyani and the government provide those necessities, Domfeh and Lynch were among those who in December formed the Giving to Ghana Foundation. The nonprofit organization was established to serve the poor and underprivileged in rural Ghana.

Domfeh, now an associate pastor at St. Patrick's in Bedford, is the foundation's director and Raymond Flynn, former Boston mayor and ambassador to the Vatican under President Clinton, is one of its board members.

The foundation's goal for this year is to raise $250,000 - $200,000 for a medical center and $50,000 for five more water wells. To date, they've raised about $30,000, Lynch said.

A local contingent that included Lynch, his brother Terry, daughter Kara and Dr. John Feerick, a pediatrician at Westchester Medical Center, attended last month's groundbreaking for St. Matthew's Clinic.

They said it was a remarkable experience and they were struck by the friendly nature and positive demeanor of the people.

Feerick, a Mount Kisco resident, cited how $4,000 could pay for a medical doctor for a year and how similar amounts could pay for clean drinking water for an entire village.

"When you realize just having fresh water to drink is the priority, it puts things in perspective," Feerick said yesterday. "A small commitment there can make a huge difference."

Despite Ghana's poverty, Dennis Lynch said, he learned of its vast spiritual wealth during his five-day trip there.

Those riches were evident in the priests who are now serving in this country, he said.

"America has great material wealth, but a lot of spiritual poverty," Lynch said. "Ghana provides people with spiritual wealth. It's only appropriate that America help out Ghana."

The Rev. Alexander Agyepong is an associate pastor at St. Ann's in Nyack. The 37-year-old, who was ordained in 2000 and for five years was assistant to the bishop of Sunyani, grew up in a rural area and was the first in his family to attend college.

Agyepong, who is currently studying at Fordham, said it's a privilege to work on this initiative.

"Everything begins with education," Agyepong said. "It is a blessing. ... People here are very generous, very supportive to the needs of others."

Although fundraising was important for the foundation, Lynch said, the efforts are about much more.

"Giving to Ghana is really about bringing people together," Lynch said. "There are few places you can give so little and have such an impact."

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