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Yvonne Washington-Turay
Family Nurse Practitioner and
Founder of God's House International



 School-to-school and Student-to-Student Cultural Exchange programs 

The God's House School-to-School Cultural Exchange program was put into place during the February 2008 mission to Sierra Leone. This program promotes the connectivity of youth in the U.S. with, but not limited to, youth in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Classes at schools make school supplies packages and gifts for children in Sierra Leone. Letters are also written as establishment of a pen pal system; however, letters are only exchanged between middle and high school classes. Teachers or schools that are interested in such a program are able to contact God's House. In order to be considered for the program, the school or teacher must fill out a questionnaire for assessment. Supplies packages and letters are collected from the school by a GHI staff or volunteer member. An overview of the program is also given to the school/class involved. Packages are shipped to Sierra Leone to the God's House clinic. Upon arrival of the God's House staff and volunteers, packages are distributed in Freetown and surrounding villages according to the mission schedule. God's House currently conducts missions in Sierra Leone once a year and this program is carried out during these scheduled one year missions.

The student-to-student program is identical to the School-to-School exchange program, with the exception that applications to qualify for the programs are taken on an individual student basis. Individual students are also not guaranteed to be a part of the pen pal program.

Approximately 40 hours per year are dedicated to carrying out this program, not including transportation time to schools in U.S. and Sierra Leone. The 40 hours includes collection of packages at school location in U.S., presentation of God's House and the Cultural Exchange program to student in the U.S. and Sierra Leone, re-visit to Schools in U.S. to deliver reply letters and presentation of the conducted mission, distribution of packages in Sierra Leone.

Focus group: Middle and high school aged youth.

States/Countries that currently participate in Cultural Exchange Program: Donors: New York City,  St. Croix, USVI, St. Thomas, USVI -- Recipients: Sierra Leone




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