Educating Ghana Children in Kpando

by Joe Kwame
(Ghana, Africa)

Yonerd Non Profit Organization


Youth-Network for Rural Development (YONERD)

Location: Kpando Ghana

Registered as "Association for Rural Youth Friends of Development."

Category and subcategory of non profit:
Youth-based, youth empowerment and capacity building.

Mission statement:

Leaning on each other for strength is the surest way to communal living. When we help others, we make life a little bit better for them, for ourselves as well as our children. The evil of poverty, of hunger, of sickness in any part of our world affects all people of the world.

Motto: Lean on me and multiply goodness!


General Nature of Activities

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Yonerd undertakes community campaigns by talking to parents (families living in fishing communities along the Volta Lake) on the need for formal education as it is the surest way to fight abject poverty and hunger in Africa.

We at Yonerd believe the best legacy to bequeath the youth is quality education. We have also been involved in helping to enroll children in school and facilitate the sponsorship of the apprenticeship of single/teenage mothers to learn dressmaking.

For instance, we partnered with Hope Ghana to sponsor 10 deprived young girls to learn a trade by buying sewing machines and paying for their apprenticeship. Each of them is now independent earning a living through sewing.

On health, we sensitize youth groups in churches and other social cultural club/groups on topical health issues such as HIV/AIDS and other STDs, how to live responsible lives to avoid sexual promiscuity, how to handle teen age pregnancy and personal hygiene with much focus on the rural community dwellers. Include radio talk shows.

Yonerd works with volunteers, churches, chiefs, local opinion leaders, teachers and (schools).


Accountability

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We raise funds through assistance from sister organizations for our projects. Reports and photographs are sent as well as how monies were spent. Also, because it is grassroot organization that started operation not long ago, we don't have the finances to help us carry out many of our projects.

Years in operation

Since June 2004 as Association of Rural Youth Friends of Development (ARYFODEV).


Services provided:

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Services provided are enormous and include the following:

• Provision of vocational skills for 10 teenage/single mothers to under apprenticeship in dressmaking.
  
  
• Playing host to volunteers and taking them on tours.
  
  
• Organizing radio sensitization programs. (Ongoing)
  
  
• Partnering with Youth Focus (Hohoe based sister organization) for public lectures on issues affecting the development of the youth.
  
  
• Income generation: Engaging rural youth in vegetable production projects
  

Special requests

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We request partnership with individuals and organizations that are willing to invest in the lives of rural dwellers especially the youth to undertake projects in farming to fight poverty and hunger.

We also wish to partner with volunteer recruiting organizations and individuals to bring volunteers to Ghana to work in schools, health facilities and rural communities.

Families, groups and individuals who want to tour our beautiful country can also contact us.


Donations

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We shall appreciate the donation of farm equipments such as water pumps and pipes for irrigation projects, bicycles to donate to school children who walk so many miles to and from school each day. Computers, used clothes, and sneakers would be great to distribute among people living in the fishing and farming communities of our communities.

As an organization, we shall appreciate receiving grants and funding to enable us undertake farming projects to generate income to be self sufficient rather than dependence on the benevolence of others.

Cassava farming, processing it into gari, kokonte, cassava dough etc., animal rearing and vegetable farming are all projects that Yonerd has been involved in and has so much experience in handling.

We welcome funding for our radio sensitization programs as that affords us the opportunity to reach out to many listeners at the same time.


Upcoming events and project goals.

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We believe that a good education is fundamental to the future of our youth. For this reason, we plan raising funds to build a six classroom block, including office, store and a staff common room for one of the communities. We invite donations from individuals and corporate bodies for this project.

Contact person:

Joseph Kwame Babs Avorgah (Executive Director)

Email: yonerd4u@yahoo.co.uk
Phone: +233 208724565 or +233 244848205

Non profit website:

We currently do not have a website and we will be happy to receive assistance to build our own website.


Other pertinent information

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I wish to mention the following people living in the USA who can testify to our credibility and who are willing to talk to anyone who seeks further clarification on our behalf.

1. Mr. Isaac K. Fomevor (US contact person)
2. Mr. John Arthur
3. Mad. Annie
4. Mr. Rick Russell
5. Ms. Karen Russell.

Thank you,

Joe Kwame
Executive Director (YONERD)

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