Full of disbelief and sorrow, we have had to say goodbye to our beloved Board member Hans de Bekker. Not only was he a great friend and mentor, he also has been invaluable to the Hel Ghana Foundation. He promised the founder that he would always be committed to Help Ghana. That he could only keep this promise for such a short time was something that touched Hans enormously.
As a driving force, Hans has ensured continuity for 35 years and inspired us as fellow board members. His knowledge and background as a medical anthropologist, with years of experience with fieldwork in Ghana and other countries, have contributed enormously to the vision and thus the foundation of the Help Ghana Foundation: empowering people and helping them with small contributions to continue independently.
For questions requiring advice from someone from Ghana, we could draw on Hans’ extensive and valuable network. We enjoyed his warm personality, reliability, loyalty, involvement, but also his rationality, helping where possible and his humor.
It is this that makes us, as remaining board members, even more committed to continuing this foundation in the line of his thoughts.
We will miss Hans deeply, most of all as a very fine person and good friend. Hans remains in our and the foundation’s heart.
(Ex-)Board members and other people involved in the Help Ghana Foundation.