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John In Ghana- For Those Who Ask How they Can Help [1]

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Date: 2023-05-16

I have been writing stories about John and his efforts to help people in Ghana for awhile now, perhaps too much and too often. I know the subject is not directly related to the mission statement of this site and not everyone is interested in the trials and travails of a handful of people in an obscure country in Africa.

I admit, I did ask directly for help for John. But mostly I have gone out of my way not to do that. For one thing, I am not writing about John and the people he is trying to help in order to raise money. Nor am I trying to take advantage of them or make them objects of pity. I am trying to report. I am trying to tell their stories because I feel these are people the world is ignoring and they deserve to have their stories told. To reduce that to simply begging demeans them.

The other, more pragmatic reason is the rules of this site do not allow it. Or if they do, the number of times one can do it are very limited. I am in full sympathy with this. if those rules did not exist charities would be using Kos as a feasting site and individuals would be constantly asking for personal help.

The problem is that kind, well-meaning and truly caring people have been asking how they can help and I have felt that I cannot respond without violating the rules of the road. That has been frustrating to everyone concerned and has, perhaps, made it appear that I am brushing off and even insulting people who are well-intentioned and sincerely want to help. I can understand why they would be unhappy with my refusal to even respond.

So I have been caught in a dilemma. I want to continue to tell the stories of these people and I sincerely want to make the information available on how to help to those who want to contribute. On the other hand, I don't want to get myself in trouble or even get banned from dKos. I have been a politically active liberal Democrat almost all of my life and Daily Kos is important to me. But I also respect those who want to help John and the sick, the homeless, and the babies he has been caring for. And God knows that help is desperately needed.

Several have written to me personally and asked how they can contribute. These I have sent the information on John's GoFundMe and my PayPal but this seems to make some uncomfortable, Perhaps because these are in my name and not John's. I can see how they may think I am simply using John to scam money for myself.

But the reason for that is simple. John doesn't have a bank account and the last I checked both PayPal and GoFundMe won't allow people in Ghana to use them anyway. I send funds to John through ShareMoney and that goes directly to his phone but if I were to tell people how to use that for him I would have to give away his personal phone number and obviously I don't want to do that publicly. If people don't trust me to be the go-between I don't blame them but that is the only way I know how to do it.

I hope this resolves some of the confusion.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/5/16/2169654/-John-In-Ghana-For-Those-Who-Ask-How-they-Can-Help

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