Dame Betty Asafu-Adjaye - Tribute to a tireless woman on a mission

For more than 30 years, North-West  London resident and Ghanaian-born grandmother - Dame Betty Asafu-Adjaye who passed away in London last month, dedicated her life to help the old, the sick, the poor and the vulnerable. Although she herself was frail and fragile and definitely not rich in monetary terms, she was definitely strong and rich in love.

The tireless woman on a mission died in London after a brief illness.

Dame Betty had been moved to set up Mission Dine Club in 1986 after learning of the death of a woman she met earlier at a Doctor's surgery. The woman had died at home alone and it took two weeks for her death to be discovered.

Mission Dine Club started from the kitchen of Dame Betty's small flat in the London Borough of Brent with a mission to help the elderly pass time in a caring environment through a hot meal service and social club - providing lunches, social events, and hospital visits for elderly and disabled people across the Borough.

Ten year later - in 1996, the charity was awarded a National Lottery grant of £183,000; which in addition to help from the Conservative Party and a team of community volunteers, helped fund a permanent base by taking the lease of a plot of land in Fry Road, Harlesden. She built a community centre on the site. Ikea, the Swedish DIY giant, rebuilt extra rooms and supplied cooking items and utensils.

The dream of the community centre being a permanent site was dashed in 2011 when Brent Council evicted Mission Dine Club and bulldozed the building - with no attempt to help her find alternative premises. The bailiffs destroyed many of her personal belongings, the photographs and artwork created by its elderly members, and the awards the charity had received throughout its then twenty five year history claiming they were of "No Value."

Brent Council said the charity was deep in rent arrears and it needed the land on which the club was, to expand the nearby Newfield Primary School and its playground.

Dame Betty said she did not owe the Council, stating that she had spent over £500,000 on the site.

The loss of the building did not deter Dame Betty - as she continued to support the elderly and disabled. She visited them by bus and on foot, provided a listening ear, did their shopping, cooked for them, and assisted with hospital visits.

A chance meeting with the Euphorium Bakery in Hampstead, allowed her to continue her missionary work delivering bread and cakes to Brent’s most vulnerable residents.

Dame Betty went round everywhere carrying bags of fruits, bread and sweets and giving them out to the poor and vulnerable. Her favourite saying was ‘silver and gold, I have none - but fruits, bread and sweets I have in abundance.’

A few years ago, Christian organisation - Youth With a Mission (YWAM), wrote to Dame Betty thanking her for her “willingness to share out of your abundance and meet our needs.”

Conservative Councillor - Reg Colwill said: “She’s a fantastic lady, she shines in a room. You don’t get many people like that come along and when they do, they make an impact.”

In 1997, she was made a Dame of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem Knight Hospitaller.

In 2012, Dame Betty was chosen to join the Queen and Prince Philip for their Diamond Jubilee Lunch Reception in Waltham Forest.

During her 99th birthday in 2013, Mrs Ethel Gooden, paid special tribute to Dame Betty: “When I retired years ago, I started attending other day care clubs but when I was introduced to Mission Dine Club, I settled in as everyone at MDC Centre was real family.

“We called each other, visited one another and at the club we told different stories. Dame Betty is a mother, a sister, a friend and all. She never visits without bringing food, drink, sweets and her love.

“I do pray for her all the time. I love her dearly and I call her my daughter as I don’t have any family.”

Godwin who volunteered for Mission Dine Club said: "Dame is simply dedicated, hardworking and nothing stops her from what she wants to do. She is infectious in a way.

"I have always classified myself as a caring and compassionate person but since meeting Dame Betty, this has gone up a notch. I am neither a Pastor nor a Church goer but the name given to me - Godwin, is manifesting itself. I now don't walk by a homeless person or someone in distress without spending a minute or two with him or her to find out the circumstances that led the person to be in the situation they find themselves. I then try after having their confidence, to explore ways and means to get them out of their present predicament."

A few years ago, Mission Dine Club was given a sizable plot of land in Ghana to build an Elderly People’s Home - to cater for the old and infirmed.

A young Ghanaian man hearing of what Dame does offered his 12 bedroom house in a very well sought-after area in Accra, for Mission Dine Club to launch in Ghana.

Mission Dine Club has a road map to advice the youth in Ghana on the dangers of harmful substances and at the same time educate and enlighten them of their Human Rights, so that they can contribute constructively to society.

In 2016, Dame Betty Asafu-Adjaye celebrated 30 years since she founded Mission Dine Club with the Queen's representative, among others, in attendance.

In the same year, she was awarded a Gathering of Africa's Best (GAB) Award for contributions to the promotion of the positive image of Africa and Africans through Community Development.

A few weeks before Dame Betty's, Mission Dine Club had rebranded to Mission Dine International to take a global outlook and expand its work to more spheres and countries. A new Board including Councillor James Allie as Chair and Daniel Addy as Executive Director has been inaugurated. The new Board is determined to steer the ship to ensure Dame Betty's selfless dream lives beyond her.

* Dame Betty' Funeral arrangements:

Friday 19 October 2018

- Service  at the United Reformed and Moravioan Church, Nicoll Road, London NW10 9AX from 10am – 12pm.

- Burial follows immediately after at Alperton Cemetery, Clifford Road Alperton, Wembley, Middlesex HA0 1AF

- Reception afterwards at The Stonebridge Centre, The Hub, Destiny Main Hall; 6 Hillside, London NW10 8BN from 1pm – 8pm.