The Gyedi Project
We invite you to support The Gyedi Project, headed by our friends, Dr. Kweku Hazel, MD, and Dr. Cynthia Hazel, Ph.D.!
The Gyedi Project is a grassroots community group aimed at empowering minority and underserved people to collaborate and tackle health inequities to improve community wellbeing. “Gyedi” originates from the Akan tribe in Ghana and means “belief or confidence in oneself”.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Gyedi Project has educated community members in Aurora about COVID-19 and is currently hosting community-based pop-up vaccination clinics to improve access to COVID-19 vaccines.
The Dr.’s Hazel have worked closely with local community leaders to build support, offer education, and address the specific needs that exist in their community in order overcome historic and contemporary barriers to vaccinations. The local news ran a story including their work HERE.
There are significant costs associated with this kind of effort. Each clinic costs approximately $18,300 to run. Funds raised will be used to cover costs for things such as community outreach, promotion, staffing, location rental, and volunteer support (meals, childcare etc.).
We were thrilled to be able to fund the $1,740 in volunteer support needs from the Deacon Fund for the 2nd clinic, which occurred on March 20th. That day, 891 people - 75% of which were Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) - received their vaccines in a safe environment run by volunteers they trusted from the community.
Through our Easter week offering we are hoping we can raise at least $2K to support the upcoming clinic on April 17th. Please click below to give.
Dr. Cynthia Hazel is a behavioral health specialist and a researcher at the OMNI Institute where she leads and supports projects focused on public and behavioral health. Her research interests are in global health, cultural adaptation, health equity, economic evaluation, and digital health technology. Dr. Hazel received her Master’s degree in Public Health Policy from Durham University in the United Kingdom, and her Doctor of Public Health degree from the University of Colorado School of Public Health, where she specialized in Community and Behavioral Health. Originally from Ghana, Dr. Hazel has also been involved in health promotion efforts targeted at the Black community in her city of Aurora, especially the African immigrant community. Her recent collaboration with her husband Dr. Kweku Hazel is focused on reducing COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy in communities of color.
Dr. Kweku Hazel is a general surgeon and a surgical fellow in minimally invasive surgery at the University of Colorado Hospital. He received his medical degree at Texas Tech School of Medicine in Lubbock, where he also started the Barbershop BP program which is aimed at educating communities of color about high blood pressure and diabetes. Dr. Hazel completed his general surgery residency in 2019 and has been involved with educating community members in Aurora through churches and community organizations since moving to Colorado in 2012. His recent efforts have been focused on promoting vaccination equity and vaccine acceptance, while reducing hesitancy in communities of color.
Both Drs Hazel are members of the Colorado Vaccine Equity Taskforce and serve on the community outreach and policy committees.