Alice Azumi Iddi-Gubbels
PAMBE Ghana Executive Director

Alice Azumi Iddi-Gubbels was born in the small village of Bongbini in a rural area of northeastern Ghana; she is the first of 17 children in her family. She grew up in a traditional, tightly knit subsistence farming community where relationships and solidarity were paramount. Alice was among the first in her village to go to school, and is one of the fortunate few from her area to receive university education. She has a diploma in Home Science and Nutrition from the University of Ghana, Masters in Social Development Planning and Management from the University of Wales - UK, B.A. and Masters in Early Childhood Education from Oklahoma City University as well as Montessori Teaching Certification in preschool and lower elementary education.

The common theme throughout her professional life has been education and social development in poor and underserved  communities. Alice has 20 years experience in integrated community development. This included community‑based health care, water supply, functional literacy and local leadership development as well as building strong collaborative relationships among community leaders and with local government services.  From 1980-82, Alice led a community-based health care program in Walewale (Northern Ghana).  She organized and trained volunteer community health promoters and traditional midwives.

Alice worked as the World Neighbors Health Coordinator for the Integrated Rural Development Program in Bassar-Togo from 1983-86, and as Family Health Advisor West Africa from 1986 to 1987.  She worked with Oxfam-GB from 1987-1997, first as Deputy Regional Representative for West Africa, and later as Country Program Director for Burkina Faso.

Alice moved with her family to Canada in late 1997.  In 1998, she managed the francophone Africa program, which included West Africa, the African Great Lakes region and Madagascar for the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace based in Montreal. She provided management and support to Oxfam Canada’s food security program in Ethiopia from 1999 until she moved with her husband to Oklahoma City in 2000. Since then, Alice’s career path shifted to early childhood education. She served as the cultural enrichment facilitator for 2nd grade in Westminster School (Oklahoma City) for two years and as preschool teacher since 2004.

Alice is passionate about quality basic education for children that starts with and builds on the local language and culture  She has established the  non-profit organization – PAMBE Ghana - that is developing and promoting mother tongue-based bilingual education, using the Montessori education method and  approach in poor, underserved rural areas of her native Ghana.

Alice enjoys nature, gardening, music, and dancing. She likes meeting people and learning first hand about new cultures.