Our Founder
“Every child in the world deserves an opportunity to be educated, to be nurtured, and to unleash their hidden creative talents and unlimited potential.”
– Mary O. Addo, founder
Our Team Members
Mrs. Florence Ankrah
Director of Program Development and Fundraising
Mrs. Florence Ankrah joins the Foundation with many years of experience in community service. She brings a wide range of skills in community organization having been an integral part of the organizing leadership of various Ghanaian social communities in the United States. She passionately shares the vision of many members of the Foundation to give back to the society that has served her so well.
Mrs. Ankrah is now a retired Registered Nurse after a 31-year career that spanned between Atlantic City and Mainland Hospital’s general outpatient services and obstetrics. In retirement she wants to devote the rest of her illustrious life in serving the underprivileged children in the developing world with emphasis on impoverish Ghanaian youth.
Sister Ruth Mensah
Project Manager and
Liaison of Operations in Ghana
Sister Ruth Mensah is a strong advocate for promoting education among the youth in Ghana and therefore strongly shares the core vision of the Foundation. As a Reverend Sister she has devoted her life to youth ministry by harnessing the power of religion to redeem the youth from deviancy. She inherently understands the challenges facing the modern Ghanaian youth and therefore offers the Foundation the direction and opportunity to target and maximize its efforts in the country.
Sister Ruth was born in Accra, Ghana and attended St. Mary’s Catholic Girls’ Primary and Secondary school where she acquired a solid foundation for her future ministry and passion. She pursued various Project Management courses at the University of Ghana, where she obtained a Certificate of the Commonwealth Program for the Youth. She further obtained a Project Director Certification from Maywood University in the United States. She is currently pursuing a degree in economics and business management at the Conrad N. Hilton Fund for sisters affiliated with Chestnut Hill University in Philadelphia. Sister Ruth joined the Congregation of the Handmaids of the Divine Redeemer of the H. D. R. Archdiocese of Accra in 1990.
The Board Members and volunteers of the Divine Mercy and Free to Be Organization are purpose driven individuals who share the vision and passion of the founder, to bring positive change to impoverished societies.
Mr. Ransford Kirton
Secretary and Treasurer
Ransford Kirton comes to the Foundation with several years of experience in financial management. At the Foundation, Ransford assists with program development and manages the Secretary and Treasury functions. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ransford was the sole owner of True Finance Solutions in New Jersey. His areas of expertise are in business financing, client acquisition, and money management. He has used his skills to manage several highly successful projects in finance. Ransford is a very compassionate person and loves children, He shares the vision and views with the rest of the board members and would like to help make a difference in the lives of children.
Mrs. Heather Foster
Director of Communications
Heather is an early childhood educator with 15 years working experience both in Christian and public sector institutions. Her passion for early childhood education is personal as one of her two daughters lives with multiple disabilities. She strongly believes that early and sustained exposure to pedagogical programs is critical for developing future leaders and intellectual resources required by any developing country. She received a BA in Psychology with certifications in Early Childhood Education and Special Education from the Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Mr. Frank Nii Okai Addo
Director of Information Technology
& Web Design
Frank is a prolific web designer with many years of experience freelancing as a digital marketer, graphic and web design. He holds a BS degree in Information Technology from the Methodist University College of Ghana. With a passion for web design, he proceeded to the IPMC Institution in Ghana to study Graphic and Web design and gained valuable practical experience in web design.
He also has a knack for telecommunication and has been a co-host on the Takeover and Rise Up Africa shows on Radio XYZ in Accra. To pursue this second career, he attended the Voice Master Academy where he studied radio and TV presentation.“Every child in the world deserves an opportunity to be educated, to be nurtured, and to unleash their hidden creative talents and unlimited potential.”
– Mary O. Addo, Founder
Ms. Mary O. Addo
Founder and President
The mission and vision of the Foundation are the brainchild of its indefatigable and visionary leader and founder, Mary O. Addo. They embody a collection of personal experiences having lived in certain impoverished regions of Ghana, and having had the unique opportunity traveling the world, and a strong desire to make a difference in the lives of the underprivileged children in these regions of Ghana, with a special focus on the rural areas.
Mary strongly believes that education is key to breaking the stark vicious cycle that keeps children in these regions in a perpetual state of poverty. To her, every child in the world deserves an opportunity to be educated, to be nurtured, and to unleash their hidden creative talents and unlimited potential. The unleashed creative mind begets a strong foundation for future economic development, good job prospects and the gene pool of future leaders. The Divine Mercy and Free to Be Foundation was therefore established to awaken the long-nurtured dream to build a better world for our children through education.
Mary was born in Accra, Ghana and attended the St. Mary’s Catholic Girl’s Primary and Secondary Schools. She attended Lambeth College in England graduating as a Nursery Nurse. She has worked extensively with children and the elderly over a 22-year career as a caregiver for the elderly and as an early childhood educator. She graduated from the Atlantic Cape Community College with an Associate Degree in Early Childhood Child Care Development (AA). She is currently studying for a bachelor’s Degree in Child Psychology from Rutgers University which she believes will continue to hone her skills in child developmental projects.