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Pride of Ghana
WWII veteran and Covid-19 fundraiser Joseph Ashitey Hammond has launched a new non-profit foundation that commemorates Ghana’s military history and organises community projects
Popularly known as Private Hammond, Joseph Ashitey Hammond is a 96-year-old Ghanaian WWII veteran who served with the British Fourteenth Army in Burma. A mechanic in the Gold Coast Regiment, Hammond was one of approximately 100,000 Africans who fought for the British Empire during the war and personally saw extensive action against the Japanese. Hammond made headlines in 2020 when he raised over £40,000 for charity during the Covid-19 pandemic. Inspired by the fundraising efforts of fellow Burma veteran Captain Sir Tom Moore, Hammond was himself awarded a Commonwealth Points of Light Award and promoted to the honorary rank of Warrant Officer Class 1 by the Ghanaian Armed Forces.
Showing no signs of slowing down,
Hammond remains committed to contributing to society and has established a new nonprofit organisation called the Joseph Ashitey Hammond Foundation. The Foundation seeks to identify and confront problems in Ghana and Africa, raise awareness and provide solutions. It has also partnered with the Uk-based
Black Poppy Rose non-profit organisation and the Ghanaian Parables animation studios to preserve the heritage of Ghana. This specifically commemorates those who have fought for Ghana’s freedom, with the theme History, Heritage, Legacy & Remembrance.
A programme of events will begin on 4 August 2021 and climax with the official launch of the Foundation on 4 September. Activities within this four-week period include a screening of an animation titled 28th: The Crossroad, which tells the story of the Accra Riots – a veterans’ march that inadvertently sparked the movement for Ghanaian independence in 1948. Hammond is the last surviving veteran of the riots and will deliver a talk after the screening of a short documentary. There will also be an exhibition of artefacts dating back to the 19th century that tells the story of the West African forces and regiments that fought for the British Empire.
As part of his new work for the Foundation, Hammond has additionally begun a water and sanitation project. He recently visited communities in Accra with the popular Ghanaian singer Gasmilla to assess hygiene facilities in the capital. Gasmilla has already partnered with the Accra Metropolitan Assembly to make the capital cleaner, while Hammond has embarked on a public awareness campaign called Operation Clear Up.
With these wide-ranging activities of remembrance and community projects, Hammond sums up the aims of the Foundation as follows: “If we are part of the problem then we should be part of the solution. I want to play my part to make this world a better place to live in.”
For more information about the Foundation visit: www.hammondfoundationgh.org or follow it on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (@pte_hammond)