OUR MISSION

ABOUT WEHASS

WeHASS was founded by John and Delphine Hicks. In September 2018, they used their own resources to build and open the first high school in a rural area of the Ivory Coast, West Africa. This school, located between the village of Dahiri and the small town of Lakota, initially lacked access to modern electricity, water, and internet. Students had to walk miles to and from school, often in the dark.

Delphine Hicks

Delphine Hicks is a licensed pharmacist and Vice President Executive Board member of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Los Angeles. She served as a Pharmacy Professional Division Board member and worked with the California State Board of Pharmacy on legislation to improve working conditions for pharmacy employees and protect consumers. Before moving to the U.S., Delphine managed her own private pharmacy in the Ivory Coast. She earned her Doctorate in Pharmacy, completed a foreign graduate program at the University of Southern California (USC), and was later considered by Governor Gavin Newsom’s office for the California State Board of Pharmacy before her retirement.

FOUNDER

Joelle Haury, USA team leader

Hi, my name is Joelle Haury Firth.
Born in the Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire), West Africa, I moved to the United States in 2006. I am married to Paul Christopher Firth, my lovely husband, and we have a child.
I joined WeHASS in 2019 and really love helping African students with this organization. Together, we participate in the World Clean-up and women empowerment initiatives in rural areas. The Ivory Coast is recovering from the political turmoil that lasted from 2020 to 2022, which left many orphans and devastated families. These children need help getting an education today. At the same time, we need a clean environment for good health, and this is what WeHASS is about. Thank you.

Adome Dabe, Cote d’Ivoire national coordinator

Mr. Kouamé Samien Adome Dabé is a specialist in middle and high school education, holding a bachelor’s degree in English and a Certificate of Pedagogical Skills for Modern Colleges (CAPCM), English option.
He served for about ten years as an English teacher in high schools and colleges.

Mr. Kouamé Samien Adome Dabé also holds a Master 2 in Educational Sciences and is now involved in the supervision of high school and college students as a guidance inspector. He is a specialist in the coordination and monitoring of projects, with a Certificate of Skills in Project Formulation and Monitoring.

Starting with WeHASS in 2024, Mr. Dabé has quickly demonstrated leadership skills that led to his appointment as WeHASS National Coordinator in the Ivory Coast.

Melene Osset, General Secretary

OSSET Apié Florence Mélène was born on March 10, 1993. She is fluent in French and has studied English as a second language.

Mélène has gained experience in human rights advocacy in rural areas of Côte d’Ivoire (The Ivory Coast), with expertise in social assistance.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in business management with a major in quantitative management techniques (Baccalauréat Technologique G2).

Mélène has served as the WeHASS representative in the small town of Lakota since 2019, following her service in the Church VASE D’Honneur in the city of San Pedro. She was later promoted to the position of WeHASS General Secretary in 2023.

Qualifications:

• Expertise in the design and facilitation of seminars and workshops.
• Experience working with PHAs, tuberculosis patients, and key populations.
• Active collection of incidents at the community level.
• Investigation and documentation of incidents and care for victims.
• Conducting awareness and capacity-building initiatives for target groups on their rights, the services offered by OSCI, and other available remedies.
• Reporting cases of termination of access to treatment for HIV and tuberculosis.
• Reporting violations of standards and guidelines on access to HIV, TB, and COVID-19 treatment for PLHIV in Côte d’Ivoire.

Joyce Roberson

Joyce serves as Vice President on the Executive Board of UFCW Local 770. She currently works with KEYT-TV and Rite Aid Drugstores Corporation.

Sara Komenan Odigbo

Sara studied Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics (MIMG) at UCLA and works at UCLA’s Johnson Comprehensive Cancer Center.