communitynon-profit


that although I was only one person, I felt compelled to make a difference by building a modern library in Africa that could sustain itself with renewable energy,” advises Prairie.


Committed to her well-defined


intention, Prairie was amazed by the serendipitous series of events that con- nected her to Ghana and the regional chief of Akwatia, in the country’s East- ern Region. “While I was searching for land there, I met Nana Akwatiahene, who told me about his desire to provide education and build schools,” advises Prairie. “We had much in common, because he had been holding the inten- tion to build a library for 10 years. We are now partners in building a modern library, with 10 computer stations and a performing arts and cultural center.” Since February 2009, Akwatiahene


GAIO WORLD What One Girl Could Do


by Linda Sechrist


Even as a child, Jacqueline Prairie, founder of GAIO World, recognized that she had an unexplainable affinity for Africa. When the death of her father made life feel painfully shorter and far more precious to the 20-year-old year engineering student, she set out to the continent to discover what fueled her imagination and set her heart afire.


Courageously traveling solo in the days of the anti-apartheid movement, Prairie trekked through eight countries, including South Africa. “No matter where I went, I kept wondering how I could help the people I met along my journey,” she recalls. “Unfortunately, I would always arrive at the same con- clusion: ‘What can one girl do?’” After nearly two decades ponder- ing the question, Prairie discovered a different answer. “I can create GAIO World (Ghana Africa International Op- erations), a nonprofit organization, and


36 San Diego Edition build a modern library.” A successful career in information


technology and education has taught Prairie that knowledge exchange, learning and access to information are the key components in building any bridge to progress. In 2008, while do- ing library research in California, she learned that the government-provided schools in many African nations are only simple classrooms, and do not in- clude a library. “In that moment, I knew


Jacqueline Prairie www.na-sd.com


and Prairie have secured land and building plans created by Ghanaian architect Charles Dawson. After two fundraisers in San Diego County, the library’s walls went up. The project has the support of the minister of foreign affairs in Ghana, village chiefs and all the local residents, more than 20,000 of whom are children.


“U.S.-based partnerships include


the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Jacobs School of Engineer- ing,” explains Prairie. “Their Teams In Engineering Service (TIES) program will provide design advice on the construc- tion of sustainable features, as well as methods of incorporating them into the


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