We have written before about why we launched TMP Academy but I want to share a little bit more with you on why TMP exists as a whole.
The Move Project became an official non-profit organization in 2010 and our moonshot goal was, and still remains, not to exist at all. Until we aren’t needed any longer, we will remain steadfast in our mission to disrupt poverty while instilling a hope that no matter where you were born, you can achieve greatness.
Another guidepost for TMP is to help without causing harm. This may sound like a common sense approach and fairly easy to pull off, but in fact, it is very difficult to do in practice. It is for this, among other reasons, that we have Ghanaians leading the effort at every level of the organization. Our work in Tsipasi goes through a rigorous planning process and no project is done without full consent, approval, and partnership with the community of Tsipasi. We don’t take the partnership with Tsipasi lightly and we are constantly striving to serve in a way that benefits Tsipasi without disrupting their culture, way of life, and way of being. Ultimately, we desire to hand over all we have started to the community when they are willing and able to begin management. As we noted above, we hope to serve our selves out of being needed.
We specifically partnered with Tsipasi because they were the first community to have a clear focus on what a partnership with The Move Project would look like, how it would benefit the entire community (not just those in power), and how they would participate from day one. Our joint endeavor began in 2016 and has continued to mature and flourish each year. Tsipasi laid out their vision and the top three priorities are as follows:
Access to clean water
Education
Economic sustainability assistance
As you can see, these are some pretty significant goals.
Our first project milestone was the installation of a water well which provided access to clean water for the entire village. We have now taken the step of connecting to a brand new water line that was recently installed near the community. By connecting to this water main, the school and community will have even greater access to clean water!
In 2018 we opened the doors of TMP Academy to begin the second major work. We are currently educating 127 students across six grades. TMP Academy currently employs nine full-time staff while providing meals to both students and families in need.
Over the past decade, only 73% of children in Ghana have had access to primary school. In Tsipasi, the percentage is much smaller.
In that same time-frame, approximately 34% of Ghana's children experienced child labor
We believe that through education, the children will be empowered to shine and TMP Academy is a place where they can learn, grow, and meet their personal goals. Tsipasi has supported this work from day 1 and we are so grateful for their partnership in making education succeed in the community.
I’ll leave you with our TMP Manifesto:
We believe that everyone is worth it.
We refuse to believe a statistic is a statistic, because we know there are names and birthdays. There are children and brothers and sisters.
We believe that light will overcome the darkness and we won't rest until light shines through.
We will show up.
We will continue the fight even when the opposition is greater and the fight against us is winning.
We will slog,
we will walk,
we will run.
We believe that living in freedom, having food and drink, and living under a roof are human rights.
Rights that are to be enjoyed by all mankind, not just a select few.
Whether you are part of the haves or the have-nots, we will stand arm in arm calling you to action because we believe the worst thing anyone can do is nothing at all.
If you’d like to join us and support this work, you can give easily and securely here.