LANSING, MI -- Closing The Digital Gap (CTDG) and BCFI are reaching across the Atlantic ocean to assist Lansing’s West African sister city of Akuapem South District, Ghana to close the digital divide.

Currently, the Lansing based CTDG has built 30 computers with network cards ready to be placed in the Akuapem public school system. Last April, CTDG sent CPUs, monitors, network cards, hubs, routers and laptops computers to Ghana. CTDG has also trained government officials and students from various parts of Ghana and the Akuapem South District in an attempt to recreate its program there.

In the last two years, Closing The Digital Gap has trained more than 500 local low-income participants to work with computer hardware and applications skills. Program graduates are given a computer and one-year of free Internet service. CTDG is located in the Black Child & Family Institute.

Why send computers to Ghana? “The real digital divide is below the equator,” said Marcus Jefferson, Director of Closing the Digital Gap. “Many third world nations do not have the infrastructure or the computers to allow its citizens to have access to the Internet. We are just trying to bridge the digital divide and level the playing field for the have-nots so that they will have access to information and economic opportunity.”

The CTDG Ghana project is part of a larger initiative by the Lansing Regional Sister Cities Commission. The Akuapem South District in Ghana is one of Lansing’s six Sister Cities. Barbara Roberts Mason, president of the Lansing Regional Sister Cities Commission, says that the 7-year relationship with Akuapem South District in Ghana has focused on health, education, economic development, Culture and government. Delegations from Lansing and Ghana have visited each other’s schools, municipal operations, businesses, farms, hospitals, elected officials, bodies of government, parks and churches. People in both cities have an excitement about their visiting guests and have opened their doors for home stays, receptions and other kinds of gatherings and amenities.

The Lansing community’s commitment to these priorities is strong. Roberts Mason said, “Some of our activities included collecting books for libraries and schools, adopting schools, and providing professional development opportunities for teachers and school administrators in the area of science education.” She also pointed out that the contribution made to the health of the citizens of Akuapem South District by Lansing area supporters has been outstanding. “We have sent more than three quarters of a million dollars worth of medical equipment, including x-ray equipment, incubators, EKG and ultrasound equipment to our adopted hospital and Mayday Rural Clinics, with the assistance of our two local hospitals, Sparrow Hospital and Ingham Regional Medical Center,” Roberts Mason said. “We have raised funds to ship an ambulance and medical supplies to be used not only as transport from rural areas but primarily as a mobile clinic. The clinic travels into remote areas and provides immunizations, health education, outreach and is saving many lives,” Roberts Mason said.

The Mid Michigan medical community has stepped up to help according to Roberts Mason. She says Lansing area physicians participated in a medical mission. In addition, there have been two vision missions conducted with the support of the Lion’s Club of East Lansing. Plans are being formulated to build three health clinics in remote areas under the sponsorship of three Lansing area churches. Also future missions will support efforts to address HIV/AIDS in Lansing’s sister city.

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