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In 2008, as a Junior at Williams College, I went abroad to Ghana in search of adventure and a change of perspective on the world. 

It took some time to adjust to the food, the weather, and the language- but after a few weeks I was smitten with Ghanaian culture, and had begun to embrace their care-free and hospitable attitude, and warmhearted outlook on life. Just prior to leaving the village after a two-week stay, I was approached by the elders.  The men said that they had recognized my energy, and formally asked me if I would be willing to help Ampento after I left.  I asked them specifically what they needed, and the chief of the village told me:

    "Our school is broken down, the cement is crumbling, the lights don't work, and the roof
    has holes, so when the rain comes, the students cannot come to school and learn.  We would
    ask that you would help us support the reconstruction of the school building"

I thought for a moment to myself "This is probably something I could do," and without thinking about it too much more, I agreed.

Two months passed and I was back in the states.  I spent spring semester recouping from ACL surgery and thinking of how I was going to fulfill my commitment to the people of Ampento.  After a few more months, and an internship at a microfinance organization in New York, the idea finally hit me.  I would get my friends to donate their old clothes, and sell the clothes on the Internet, under the brand name 5Cee.  With enough donations, the right attitude, and the right contacts, I figured I'd be able to scrape the money together to rebuild the school.

I spent the rest of the summer organizing the company, and planning out an array of fundraisers that I would host at Williams in my senior year.  After a year of putting my nose to the grindstone, I managed to get enough money together to get a plane ticket back to Ghana, a few hundred dollars to put a contractor on retainer, and enough cash to support one of Ampento's 8th graders to continue his education in high school.

While in Ghana I met a contractor through my home-stay family in Kumasi who put together an estimate and a set of blueprints for the reconstruction of the school. I met with the Ampento elders, informed them that I still planned on building their school but did not have all the money yet, and in the meanwhile, I intended to support one of their 8th graders to continue their education. 

Since then, I've been supporting Kwaku Albert at Wesley Presbyterian High School in Bekwai, Ghana, and am continuing to raise money for the re-construction of the school. You can help me fulfill my commitment to the elders of Ampento by donating clothing or artwork to 5Cee, and buying the items for sale here on the site. 

-John Dingee

For more information, see the 5Cee Facebook page, or email us at 5CeeClothing@gmail.com