AHEAD

Access to Energy for African Development

Twenty years ago an effort was mounted at the Frederick Douglass Institute for African and AFrican-American Studies at the University of Rochester, based on the idea that energy had a critical role to play in assisting developing nations to overcome the scourge of poverty. What became the nonprofit AHEAD Energy Corporation also proposed that development of locally-available energy resources could ignite rapid development and provide a model for sustainable energy transitions. Until recently, energy's role in development has not been well understood. Whereas it is easy for the typical person to recognize the need for food, water, housing, education and medical care, it has required long arduous efforts to get even international development aid professionals to grasp the idea that energy is a key to economic and social development.
Heading the team for the AHEAD organization are: Mary Jeanette (MJ) Ebenhack, President/CEO and Ben W. Ebenhack Chairman of the Board, Senior Lecturer, Chemical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY.

South Presbyterian Church is fortunate to have both Ben and MJ Ebenhack as members of our church and as a result our church has partnered with AHEAD on one of their projects. Our Mission Committee is supporting the Peace Nursery and Primary School in Uganda, Africa. To read all about this school, please click here.
We are presently collecting money towards buying a stove that will be used for cooking meals at the school. If you want to donate to this cause and help children in Uganda, check out the stove bank during coffee hour.

Also, please read the Thankyou Letter we received from the school for our assistance in this project.

To learn more about the AHEAD organization, check out this link. Access to Energy for African Development(AHEAD)

MJ Ebenhack took a trip to Uganda in early February 2009. Read her report and learn about the interesting work that is being accomplished at the Peace Primary and Nursery School in Uganda. You wont want to miss this. Read "A big move forward at Peace School" by MJ Ebenhack. Please click here.

Picture #1 shows Helen, Nate, Charles and a contractor in the kitchen of the school.

Picture #2 shows the construction of the stove that South Presbyterian Church is helping to pay for.