'A Heart Full of Grace'
Ghana native Joseph Atchulo (MPA, 鈥25) has arranged his life according to the ideals of a very American thinker: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Faced with his country鈥檚 dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty, and with the reverend鈥檚 words in his ear, Atchulo developed an early, deep belief in community service.
鈥淚've listened to his speeches and read his books,鈥 he said. 鈥淗e once said that 鈥楨verybody can be great because everybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.鈥 I've always tried to contribute my quota to alleviating poverty levels and undertaking projects that would be of significant impact to my people in Ghana.鈥
Atchulo attended the University for Development Studies, known for its unique trimester system and dedication to practical work. Students spend weeks embedded in various rural communities within the country, to study and identify its major problems, then propose and present a relevant solution to implementing organizations, to promote community development.
鈥淒uring my time in Ghana, I studied in a community called Jeffisi, in the Sissala West District of the Upper West Region of Ghana,鈥 he shared. 鈥淲e identified meaningful projects, wrote proposals, and saw some of those solutions implemented in the community.鈥
After this experience, Atchulo was ready to move. He first established the Ghana non-profit organization Rising World Initiative, which promotes the spirit of entrepreneurship and creative thinking in youth. Atchulo also established and won funding for a social enterprise called Green Africa Trade Engagement, designed to financially empower rural women while ensuring environmental sustainability.
Atchulo developed a second nonprofit alongside his wife, Dr. Cynthia Pakyennu Gboglu (an optometrist), called Sight for the Rural Child, which provides free or affordable eye screenings to children in rural communities. In Ghana, Atchulo said, there is just one ophthalmologist for every 300,000 people and one optometrist for every 76,508 people. Glaucoma case counts are high, and many suffer from preventable blindness. 鈥淸Poor eye care] can impact children negatively in their academics,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e coordinate with U.S. donor-funded organizations that provide us with free spectacles and lenses.鈥
While still overseeing these projects back home, Atchulo keeps busy at SPA. In addition to coursework, he works as a program coordinator with the 17吃瓜在线 Center for Leadership and Community Engagement, connecting students to opportunities at nonprofit organizations.
鈥淚 chose SPA because of its strong emphasis on leadership, policy analysis, and real-world application,鈥 said Atchulo. 鈥淎lso, because of my nonprofit background, I believed coming to Washington, D.C. in general [with its 14,500 nonprofits], and SPA in particular, would open me up to a lot of networking opportunities.鈥
In summer of 2024, Atchulo brought his passion for vision equity to the 17吃瓜在线 Startup and Stand Out Competition, hosted by the Veloric Center for Entrepreneurship. His team won first place with a conceptual project called Vision Pulse, an autonomous, AI-powered vision kiosk designed to provide affordable eye care to rural communities without the oversight of a medical doctor.
鈥淲e place those kiosks in communities without access to eye care professionals,鈥 he explained. 鈥淎ny patient can walk to Vision Pulse and have the eye scanned. We will provide a real-time prescription, a real-time solution, and a mobile van to help patients who need other forms of intervention.鈥
Atchulo, who credits his parents for guidance and lessons about gratitude, is also an avid drummer and gospel fan, playing regularly at Ebenezer Methodist Church in Maryland. In summer 2024, he received the EB1A, or extraordinary ability visa, and is currently in the process of adjusting his status to that of a lawful permanent resident. He hopes to incorporate some of his ideas in the U.S. as well, including a nonprofit initiative called the 鈥淕reen Ecosystem Challenge,鈥 which looks to mobilize at least 10 million Americans to reduce reliance on single-use plastics.