Eli Berefo - Member Profiles - Community

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eberefo
Eli Berefo


Title and Organization:		Health Promoter - Youth Engagement Lead, THU
Location:		Toronto, Ontario
Country of Residence:		Canada
Country of Birth:		Ghana
Nationalities:		Ghanaian
Citizenships:		Canada
Languages:		English , Twi



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About Me

My name is Eliezer Kwame Berefo. Friends call me Eli rhymes with Nelly. I was born in Ghana, West Africa and migrated to Canada in 1996. As far as I can remember I’ve always been excited about global issues, health care and enabling people to be the best that they can be. From my high school years I was part of the student council playing the role of school pastor and community liaison. I was able to plan days of service where the student body served homeless people in downtown Toronto. I did my undergrad in Nursing at McMaster University. In 2005 my friend and I started a campus student organization called McMaster International Compassion and Relief Experience (ICARE). ICARE is now a registered NGO in Ghana, West Africa. I led my team in raising nearly $30,000 to assist orphans, hospital and villages in Ghana. My organization’s goal is sustainable development to that end we established three internet cafes that currently generate funds for three orphanages while improving accessibility to the internet. ICARE has given hope to the hopeless; we hired about 10 staff in the cafes, donated clothes, books, medical supplies, food and computers. We work with the Ministry of Education collaborating with local schools in effort to improve the computer literacy of future generation.

In summer 2008 I was among 13 candidates from over 100 applicants to represent McMaster University in an outpost clinical experience. Working on the HIV/AIDS at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Ghana I was responsible for planning and evaluating health education programs for people living with HIV/AIDs. Applying the best evidence I was able to influence the health care workers and administrators by creating entertaining yet educational health promotion seminars suitable to the learning styles of Ghanaians. At home I’ve been involved in numerous projects raising awareness to the disparity between Aboriginals and non-Aboriginal Canadians.

These life changing experiences have helped me to develop a greater passion for improving the health of vulnerable populations by facilitating change within the health care system. I recently completed my Masters of Public Health at Lakehead University. Currently I am working with Timiskaming Health Unit as the Youth Engagement Health Promoter. I look forward in using this website to achieve my professional as well as personal goals. I believe with Nelson Mandela that “there can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way it treats its youth”. We have all witness the change that can take place when youth all over the world work together with one cause. TIG is the perfect median where this change can take place. I look forward in collaborating with my fellow brother s and sisters around the world in promoting social justice and equity.