Zak, as he prefers to be called, joined Western Heritage Home this spring as a
Manager-in-Training. His job is to carry out all the tasks necessary to keep
projects going. Since almost all of the WHH Board members work during the day,
and have limited personal time, Zak is their right-hand man. Zak and Francis,
the night watchman/cleaner are the two WHH employees. The Board members serve
without compensation.
We asked Zak to write a short article to introduce
himself...
"My name is Ussif Mariko Zakaria. I am 25 years of age.
I was born and lived in Axim until 2003 when I completed my junior high school
at St. Augustinus preparatory school. I live with my mom and 2 of my siblings in Axim. I am the first boy and second born of a family of six. I graduated my senior high school at Ghana Secondary Technical School in 2006. I offered science as program and passed out with first class grades. I have been teaching mathematics at my formal [former] junior school.
I have had the opportunity to enter into the university
but could not afford the fees. My dad died three month after I graduated my
senior high school in 2006. I understand and speak English, Arabic, Nzema,
Fante, and Hausa.
I am very humble, intelligent, respectful and
hardworking and above all God-fearing Muslim. These qualities have earned me
fame among the old and young in my community.
It is my dream to be a philanthropist one day in future
so it is a great opportunity to be at WHH as a stepping stones to bring my
dream into reality.
At my leisure time I do
reading of Holy Quran, story books and searching of information. Being a
philanthropist is my future dream after university."Note: we think by "philanthropist", Zak perhaps means "humanitarian." But, maybe he will be a philanthropist one day! Would that we all were this articulate in our 2nd or 3rd languages!