A total of $22,000 has been awarded to the first batch of grantees of the Ford Children and Youth Fund at Ashesi. The fund, a two-year program to support student-centered projects, was established through a $94,000 grant from the Ford Foundation. Its aim is to make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged children and youth in Ghana, and increase the impact of community service at Ashesi.
In all, sixteen student-run teams received grants to support their projects centered on a range of disciplines including agriculture, music, information technology and sports. Abraham Addy ’17 of the Transite Team, and his team members, had been looking for a way to push their idea of sanitation through sports. “After the Ashesi community cleared rubbish off the main dump site in the Berekuso township, we saw the opportunity to explore the ‘idle’ land and also work with the people in the community to keep the land clean through sports,” he said. “We hope to inspire the youth with soccer and volleyball, in an effort to create behavioral change, especially in the way people dispose off their rubbish. Eventually, we hope Berekuso will become a clean and healthy community.”
Other grant-winning teams include Tontro (Benedict Quartey ’18), Sesa Mu Youth in Agric (Nadine Madjoub ’18), Read Hub (Mary Franklin Eshun ’16), Trim tab (Prince Kwarase ’17), LeadKids (Abraham Addy ’17), Catalyst (Moses Yangnemenga), Future of Africa Streetsmart (Hamza Kamara ’18), Nunya (John Osei Kojo '15), Berekuso Math Project (Marilyn Seyram Acolatse ’17), Bevels of Innovation (Ellen Cudjoe '17), Creative Minds (Dela Kwami Acolatse ’17), Tech Era and Berekuso Music Project (Derek Omari ’18), Lynn Scholarship Support (Yahaya Sappah ’17), Early Childhood Career Center (Efua Bainson’17) and New Leaf (Vanessa Amoako ’16). Aside funding, the Office of Student and Community Affairs will provide guidance and support to the teams throughout the duration of the program.
“The value I hope they take away, even beyond the impact they will make from these projects, is an important lesson in leading change,” said Jude Acquaah, Summer and Community Engagement Programme Coordinator. “They will learn to have compassion, to connect with people in the community and build synergies to address the problem they take on. That whole experience of leading change is good for them and it is very good for our society.”
Project grants under the Ford Children and Youth Fund at Ashesi are divided into two tiers - grants exceeding $500, but under $10,000, and grants under $500 for already existing projects. Students, staff and faculty can apply to receive funding for projects so long as the projects involve Ashesi university students. Over the year, there will be two more opportunities for groups to apply for the grant.
The Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that supports visionary leaders and organizations on the frontline of social change. The foundation aims to help strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation and advance human achievement across the world.