Saanich, B.C. delivery driver works 7 days a week to create library at former elementary school in Ghana
Isaac Oduro will never forget the day he was doing deliveries and received a $100 tip.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God, I haven’t seen this before,'” he says with a smile. “I was so excited.”
It was so different than what Isaac experienced back in Africa.
“It was hand to mouth,” he explains. “Travelling here was a big opportunity for me to come so I could take care of my family.”
Isaac moved to Canada alone and worked for years to support his wife and sons in Ghana before they could join him. Two years ago, he returned to his hometown.
“I feel so sad when I went back,” Isaac says of the old elementary school he last attended 30 years ago. “(It) was in a deplorable state.”
Issac says the problems ranged from a roof filled with holes to classrooms empty of books.
“I wasn’t happy about what I saw, so I decided I’m going to do something.”
Isaac immediately bought seven whiteboards for the school, before making a commitment to do even more later.
“I’m going to go back to Canada,” Isaac says, after posing for pictures in the school with the new boards. “And in two years I’m going to come back and build a library.”
When Issac isn’t working two jobs (10 hours a day, seven days a week) to earn funds for the renovations, he’s requesting book donations from local companies, including Victoria’s Russell Books.
“Right now, I have 3,000 books,” Isaac says.
Isaac has packed up most of the books and arranged for them to be shipped to Ghana, along with bags of new school supplies. The library is slowly but surely being transformed, with a new roof, floor, paint and fans. It’s on schedule for Isaac’s return this fall to help finish the project and fill the school with with hope again.
“(I hope) to keep them reading, to keep them learning,” Isaac says. “So somebody can also come from that school and be like me.”
The sort of person who uses a $100 tip to buy gifts for others.
“Now that I’m Canadian, I want to do what Canadians do,” Isaac says. “And that’s be generous.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.