The Jonesboro Study Guild held its October meeting on January 22, 2024 at the Jackson Parish Chamber of Commerce with Paula Jimmerson serving as Hostess and Stacy Allbritton introducing the program: The Ambassador’s Self-Help Programs.

When she was a diplomat in Togo from 2009-2011 with the U.S. Foreign Service, Stacy learned that the Ambassador awarded $5,000 grants to various individuals and organization who had a pressing need and whose projects propelled citizens to the path to self-reliance. Stacy chose to sponsor two projects involving education.

The first was in the village of Gbodjomé where there was a vo-tech school for girls with two programs: hair dressing and couture. The girls who attended for hairdressing had a room in the school, but the girls who attended for couture had to sew and crochet outside on the porch because the school had only one enclosed room. The chief’s goal was to use the grant to add a room to the building so that they girls’ studies would not be interrupted during monsoon season.

The second project took place in Sodo, where the village chief wanted to use the grant to build benches for school children as many of the schools had only thatched roofs and dirt floors. Stacy toured both towns and did a follow-up visit the following year to ensure that the grants were used as intended. Upon her return, she was given the royal treatment with traditional dances, a tour of the schools, palm wine, and even a live chicken. She came away with a respect for the chiefs, their citizens, and the United States for offering an opportunity to people who are usually afforded so little.

Upon adjournment, members enjoyed sampling the delicious Gambino’s king cake compliments of their gracious hostess, Paula Jimmerson.