About Us
The Ewe Association of Houston (EAH) is the second oldest African organization in the city of Houston, formed after the Ethiopian Organization of Houston. The first meeting was held during Easter weekend of 1982. The first formal constitution for EAH was drafted in 1995.
The main reason for setting up the organization was to foster companionship among Ewes in the Houston Metropolitan Area. To that end, new arrivals to Houston were encouraged to join the Association so others can provide help and support when needed. To grow this companionship the group adopted several American holidays to suit the community needs. Thus, Thanksgiving Day was celebrated as a community. Similarly, Memorial Days and Labor Days were held as beach picnic events. These beach picnics became so entertaining with food, drumming and dancing, their popularity quickly grew beyond the Ewe community to other Ghanaian groups in the Houston area and surrounding towns and cities. This includes participants from Dallas and Austin. The Ewe Association has since become the social and cultural hub for the majority of Ewes in the Greater Houston area.
In addition to holidays, EAH members support their fellow members during bereavement of close relatives through hymns, traditional songs, drumming, sharing of communal foods and free-will contributions.
The Council of Ewe Associations of North America (CEANA): – The major involvement of EAH is within the umbrella organization called CEANA, which currently organizes 20 associations under its wing throughout the USA and Canada. The beginnings of CEANA started quietly and almost accidentally. A small group of Ewe friends from five cities met at a function in Chicago, Illinois. In their casual conversations they realized that the objectives of each Ewe Association in the individual cities were very similar and that if they come together they could pool their resources for the greater good in helping people back home under the principle of ‘more hands on deck make a job easier and faster.” They decided to work towards starting such an umbrella organization in 1995. CEANA achievements have included the following:
- Collected and shipped various medical equipment for distribution to hospitals in Ghana and Togo, including Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in the capital, Accra, Ghana
- Supplied brand new medical equipment to Tsito-Awudome Clinic
- Started and maintained scholarship programs for selected High School students, from start to finish of their course work if they maintain acceptable grades. The scholarship program has been in operation continuously for the past 18 years.
- Reconstruct and/or refurbished schools, hospitals, and clinics in Ghana and Togo
- Successfully led social action to rescind the relocation of lab animals from the USA to Ghana
- Holds an annual convention in major US/Canadian cities that attracts traditional leaders, politicians, clergy and other guests from North America, Europe, and West Africa