The Gyedi Project, founded and headed by Kweku Hazel, MD, and Cynthia Hazel, DrPH, MSc, is a grassroots community group centered in Aurora, Colorado, aimed at empowering minority and underserved communities to tackle health inequities and improve community well-being. The Gyedi Project is focused on Black, Latinx, and immigrant communities in the Denver Metro area.

“Gyedi” is a Ghanaian Akan word that means “believe”. It is also a noun that translates to “self-belief”. The concept of gyedi is fundamental to taking full control and the self-assurance to overcome any situation. We leverage the concept of gyedi as well as values of shared humanity such as “ubuntu” (which means ‘I am, because we are’), to build individual ownership of community health, increasing awareness about the importance of supporting one other on our individual and collective journeys to achieving better health. We emphasize the importance of gathering and sharing accurate and beneficial health knowledge that can better prepare the community to address ongoing health challenges and emerging health threats.

The project prioritizes community and sub-community outreach, health education campaigns, and leadership trainings of volunteers to create access to health services among underserved communities.

Mission

Our mission is to empower minority and underserved communities to tackle health inequities and improve community well-being.

Vision

Our vision is to see historically marginalized communities take complete control of their health and realize their full life potential.