Cambria Heights man wants to go back to Africa to help

He travels to Africa to bring medication to remote villages, he prays with those medicine can’t help, he counsels locals, and he is hopeful to return in the near future.
No, it’s not Bono.
It is Queens resident Ken Tedeku.
Tedeku, who leads the Dominion Worship Center in Cambria Heights, returned from Africa in November and is now trying to raise funds so he and several students can return to the continent in March to provide the care its people desperately need.
“We go to the people. We don’t make them come to us,” Tedeku said. “We bring the medication to them. Many of them can not afford to come to us.”
He traveled to his home country of Ghana with several doctors and pharmacists as part of the Hearts Afire organization last year and brought medicine and treatment to remote villages of the Western African nation. Hearts Afire is a Florida-based group that does medical and evangelical missions all over the world.
“He was willing to go help his people without the expectation of anything in return,” said Joseph Pecoraro, one of the founders of Hearts Afire.
Because he speaks several different Ghana dialects, Tedeku counseled locals on the medication and helped educate about treatments. He said over 800 people came to get medical aid. He also helped with the evangelical practice and taught natives about the Christian faith.
“People really came and gave their life to God,” he said.
Tedeku said one night there were 24 different congregations who came together to worship. He was able to preach to the group and share his message.
“The turnout was wonderful,” Tedeku said. “The people got to see someone who walked the streets like them and now they see I came out like this. It really encourages them.”
The trips are also inspiring to many who go along, Tedeku said. He said one woman who went saw all the young girls attending school, but they had no uniforms. She then provided over 100 uniforms to the students.
Today, Tedeku is trying to raise money so he can return with the group in March and hopefully go with a larger contingent. Each trip can cost up to $3,000 and the organization needs cash and medication donations to make their visit possible.
Pecoraro said the group is still limited by the small number of people who are trained to go on mission, but he hopes in the future the group will grow and become known for their African medical aid.
“There has been tremendous growth,” Pecoraro said. “The doors are opening to different countries.”
Donations of cash or medication can be made at the Dominion Worship Center, 116-53 228th Street in Cambria Heights or the Hearts Afire organization at Heartsafire.us.