>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

The floodwaters receded seven months ago but the people of Northern Ghana still need a hand — now almost more than ever.

EOU students Doctor Ayeliya and Patrice Nya are rushing in to provide it. Ayeliya and Nya are helping start the Sabu Help Fundraising Project to assist Africa’s needy.

The initial efforts of the Sabu Help Project will go towards assisting the people of Northern Ghana who had their lives uprooted by flooding caused by torrential rainfall in September. The flooding, which hit 17 African nations, affected 350,000 people in Northern Ghana and washed away more than 250,000 acres of farm land there.

News of the flooding touched the hearts of Ayeliya and Aya, both of Africa. Ayeliya is from Ghana and Aya is of Cameroon, which also was hit by the natural disaster.

The people of Ghana are still struggling mightily to lift themselves from the effects of the flood since it destroyed much of the seed needed to plant new crops this spring. Ayeliya and Aya want to provide farmers with money to purchase seed for crop planting.

They hope to help farmers by providing them with $100 each for seed and crop growing expenses. Ayeliya said $100 will provide a farmer with enough to easily purchase the seed needed for an entire crop growing season.

The farmers will be required to pay back the money in the fall after their crops are harvested and sold. The money will be returned to the Sabu Help Fund so that it can be used to help others in Africa. All funds raised for the Sabu project now and in the future will be used to help people of Africa help themselves, Ayeliya said.

The initial money raised for the Sabu project will be used to help the villages of Biu and Tampola in Northern Ghana. Biu has 900 people and Tampola, where Ayeliya is from, has 1,000.

Money to help farmers needs to be collected and sent within the next six weeks to give them a chance to plant crops. Ghana’s rainy season runs from May to December, the time when most crops are grown there. Peanuts, corn, rice and beans are the primary crops grown in Northern Ghana.

Ayeliya and Aya are now seeking donations for their late May yard sale. People are encouraged to donate items like desks, computers, bicycles, furniture and kitchen items. No clothes are needed because the Sabu Project already has plenty for the sale, Ayeliya said.

Ayeliya is president of the Sabu Help Fundraising Project and Nya is its director of finance.

Sabu is part of the project’s title because it means money in Kassen, a language spoken in Ghana.

People who would like to donate items for the sale should e-mail the Sabu Project at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 805-8036 to have them picked up. Donations to the Sabu Project can be made at any branch of US Bank, Ayeliya said.

Additional information is available at the Sabu Project’s web site: www.sabuhelp.org .