Adult Education Classes at TMP Academy

As we put the finishing touches on The Move Project Academy, it's important to clarify that the school will not only be for the community's children. We will also be using the school for adult education classes. Our first offering will be an English class for 25 adults in Tsipasi. Here's why we're starting with English classes:

English and The Market

When TMP first began working with the leaders in Tsipasi, they presented us with their most pressing needs.

The number one issue was lack of access to clean water. This affected the entire village because without a clean water resource, the community had to draw water out of a trench shared with livestock. To meet the need, we installed a well and Tsipasi now has a sustainable clean water source.

The second issue facing the community was lack of education. Tsipasi did not have a formal school and the children had to walk for miles to get to the nearest school. Since Tsipasi is in a remote area, this made travel difficult and resulted in most of the children foregoing an education.

The third issue noted was a method to get crops to market more efficiently and effectively, overcoming the difficulties in transportation. Forced to sell through a wholesaler that comes to the village, the farmers are barely able to sustain themselves. Even if farmers were able to get their produce to market, they would be met with a significant challenges, as English is the common spoken language spoken in the market. 

As we met with the women of the village to hear about their specific needs we heard a common theme. They wanted to learn a trade they could turn into a small business to help sustain the family outside of the planting and harvesting times. Entrepreneurship also requires you to speak English in order to sell your goods at the market.

In the area around Tsipasi, you only know how to speak English if you go to school. Another reason we must provide access to quality education for the children, which will help break the cycle of poverty.  This is why our next move after water, was to create The Move Project Academy.

TMP Academy

In its initial stage, TMP Academy will offer schooling for Creche (pre-school) through grade 6, along with English classes for adults. Our vision for a multi-purpose school coming into focus.

With additional future financing, The Move Project Academy will expand our offerings to include secondary education (Middle School), which would require building a secondary school in Tsipasi. This will expand the access to education not only for the children of Tsipasi, but for the children in the surrounding area.

In Ghana, secondary schools are less numerous than primary schools. As a result, children stay at the school through the entire session, making them boarding schools as well. Having a secondary school in Tsipasi will have a positive impact not only in education, but the local economy as well by creating more jobs. Until we are able to build a secondary school, we will support children to qualify to continue to secondary school by way of tuition scholarships.

Soap Making

The Move Project is also hosting a training program to teach Women of the community soap making, which is a huge need in the area and a skill that can immediately be turned into a small business creating access into the marketplace. Our first class will be 25 people and done along with the English program. The training program will also include courses on small business management. These two items in concert will enable the Women to start their own business. This is all happening at TMP Academy!

This will all begin in the next two weeks. We are only able to do this through generous contributions received by individual donors.

Here is a breakdown of the cost of these programs. You'll be surprised at how little it takes to change the future!

• Feeding Program: $875/month to feed 120 children
• Adult English Classes: $315/course to educate & provide materials for 25 adults
• Soap Making & Small Biz Mgmt Courses: $300/class to provide training &materials for 25 adults

100% of your contributions go directly to supporting the projects outlined above. Donate today at themoveproject.org/donate

Staff Development - Innovations for Poverty Action Event

In the midst of creating The Move Project academy and all the things we're doing to provide a structured learning environment- fundraising, construction, purchasing of materials, etc. - how we develop our staff is a critical area of focus. Our goal is to provide continued educational opportunities for the staff of TMP Academy so they can be at their best. Not only do we look for teachers who will be a great fit for the Academy, be a proponent of Education within the community, and those with a passion serving the children to light the way to tomorrow.

We want teachers who have a desire to continue growing themselves. 

Part of the Academy's budget will be dedicated to continued educational development of our staff. This idea may be commonplace here in the United States, but access to these types of programs is far more difficult in Ghana. Not to mention with Tsipasi being as remote as it is, these types of programs also become cost prohibitive for teachers. In the future, we will bring these educational opportunities to Tsipasi for our staff but for now we have begun planning to send them to Accra for additional learning events. 

The first such event took place on October 10th. Innovations for Poverty Action in Ghana held a Dissemination event on early childhood education research findings. Our team was invited to participate and learn about IPA's Fast-track Transformational Teacher Training work as well as Quality Preschool for Ghana findings they have complied after extensive research. TMP Academy was particularly excited about attending this event as we will focus and invest heavily in our preschool and KG (Kindergarten) classes. This is due, in large part, to the fact that nearly all children in Tsipasi have not received a formal education, thus requiring us to begin their educational experience at the most basic level and build from there. 

Gaining this invaluable knowledge is another way to build towards a successful future.

For more information on Innovations for Poverty Action and the work they are doing in Ghana to inform schools like ours, visit their website at https://www.poverty-action.org.

To see their Ghana specific work, click HERE.

World Teachers' Day!

In honor of World Teachers' Day, we wanted to provide a more detailed introduction to Jerron, the Headmaster of The Move Project Academy in Tsipasi, Ghana.

Jerron was our very first hire, and he started with The Move Project on August 15th. Since then, he has been hard at work laying the groundwork for the Academy and the future success of its students in Tsipasi and the neighboring communities. Jerron is from Accra, which is the capital of Ghana. He will soon be moving to Dawa which is the nearest junction to Tsipasi, as there is no available housing within the immediate village. Being from Accra, we felt it important for him to make regular trips to Tsipasi in order to get to know the community and the families who will soon be enrolling their children at TMP Academy.  

Jerron has been warmly welcomed by the community of Tsipasi while making regular trips to village. His visits are to meet with parents, establish the importance of education, gather information on our prospective student population, and assess the educational needs of the children. All of this is being done in an effort to ensure TMP Academy is providing educational structure and opportunities that are needed by the village.

Until now, most all of the children, as well as the adults, have not received any formal education, and we are strategically addressing a few challenges as a result: 

• Clearly understanding the needs of the community and students before opening the school.
• Working with the adults to learn English andsharing tools so they can assist their children in the academic work at home.
• Ensuring proper placement of the students in the appropriate class (grade). 

Jerron is working on each of these items and is making progress in preparation for the school's opening.

We are grateful for Jerron and his work to make educational endeavors in Tsipasi a success and we look forward to hiring more teachers in the near future. As we do, you'll get to meet the staff.

International Literacy Day 2017

September 9th is globally recognized as International Literacy Day and we are thrilled to participate with the global initiative this year in Tsipasi! UNESCO established this day for observation back in 1965. It's aim is to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities, and societies.

It is estimated that some 775 Million adults lack minimum literacy skills and nearly 60 million children are not in school. According to UNESCO's 2006 report "Global Monitoring Report on Education for All", the literacy rate in sub-Saharan Africa, of which Ghana is a part, is 59.7%. As of 2010, Ghana's adult literacy rate is 71.5% (rate among adult Women is 65.29%) and literacy among youth is 85.72%.

The community of Tsipasi has never before had access to education and due to this, the literacy rate within the village is lower than that of the National averages. We look to change that with the creation and work of The Move Project Academy. We understand that both adult and youth literacy is key to lessening the impacts of poverty and this concept has been proven out in various countries all over the world. To this end, we will be launching a two pronged approach to address illiteracy within the community. First, we will create an adult English education project to address illiteracy within the adult population. This education will enable adults within the community to have the freedom experienced with reading. It will also improve their ability to sell in the market and encourage their children to pursue learning. Reading benefits all!

Secondly, literacy will be a key element within the classes in each grade at the Academy. We believe early access to reading will reap wonderful benefits as the children progress throughout their learning journey. 

Our Headmaster, Jerron, has scheduled a reading day with the children of Tsipasi to participate in International Literacy Day. He has been hard at work talking with the adults and children about the importance of education and how The Move Project Academy will work to serve the educational needs of Tsipasi. 

TMP Academy Update: Phase 1 Complete!

We have structured The Move Project Academy project into three phases. The first phase is construction of the school building, the second phase is the furnish the school, purchase curriculum and uniforms, and the third phase is to hire the teachers and have their salary funded for at least one year in advance. 

We are so thrilled to announce that Phase 1 of TMP Academy has been completed! The money has been sent and the construction crew is putting on the finishing touches. The school will be painted within the next two weeks and we look forward to sharing more pictures with you soon, including the completed building!

Following the installation of a water well to provide the community with access to clean water, education was noted as the next most urgent need. After meeting with the community leaders, we began planning a strategy around education, raising funds, and working with the community leaders in Tsipasi to begin planning what will now be The Move Project Academy. The construction phase has taken a while, but we know with the energy and effort put into the foundation of the school, quality education will be a lasting reality for the children of Tsipasi.

As we neared the completion of the construction phase, we set out to hire a Headmaster who will oversee the teachers and staff at the Academy. As we announced HERE , we found Jerron who will serve as TMP Academy's first ever Headmaster.

Phase 2 will consist of furnishing the school with desks and chairs, purchasing uniforms for the children, and buying the syllabus and curriculum to be used in each class. The total cost of this phase will be $7,376.50 and is broken down here:

• Furniture (Desks/Chairs, Cupboards):$3,996
• Curriculum, Syllabus and Textbooks (students & teachers): $2,226
• Uniforms (120): $1,080
• Instructor Materials (7): $74.50

You can see the complete line-item budget of TMP Academy here, and also help purchase supplies off of the supply needs list here. 

If you've contributed financially, we thank you for partnering with us and the community of Tsipasi as we look to bring quality education through the Academy. 

Would you take one more step and share this message with your friends and family? It takes a village! 

ANNOUNCEMENT: TMP Academy Headmaster Hired

The Move Project Academy has officially hired a Headmaster! John Jerron-Quarshie, who goes by Jerron, was hired on Aug. 15th and has already begun working hard to prepare the school for the grand opening.

Throughout the construction phase (Phase 1) of the TMP Academy project we were conducting a search for the school's headmaster. We are thrilled to have found Jerron. Nick Mahlstadt, TMP co-founder, met with Jerron during a visit to Tsipasi in June, and conducted an onsite interview. Once returning to the States, he then completed the hiring process and officially brought Jerron on board. 

By September, all construction will be completed and we will move to Phase 2 which is to raise funds and purchase furniture, uniforms, and curriculum. In this phase, we will be purchasing desks, chairs, cupboards for material and supply storage, uniforms for the students, and curriculum they will use to begin their education journey at TMP Academy. 

Jerron has already begun to work with Ghana's Ministry of Education to obtain the proper syllabus and curriculum for each grade. As we work to complete Phase 2 in preparation for the school's grand opening, Jerron will be conducting English classes for the adult community members in Tsipasi. Most of the community has not been formally educated and didn't learn speak English. This is especially important for conducting business and trade in the market, as the common language used when many native dialects are present is English.

We are thrilled to announce this milestone as we continue to make access to education a reality in Tsipasi. While the school may not officially be open yet, education is still top priority and English classes is how we'll start. 

Together, we are helping the community of Tsipasi create a new reality for themselves and the coming generation. 

New Year - New Site Content!

With the new year now in full swing, we are working hard at adding new content to our website and we're pleased to roll out our brand new Water pages! It is important that we continue to roll out new content to communicate what we're up to and how you can get involved. Water has been, and will continue to be, our main entry point into villages like Tsipasi and has been the catalyst to our working partnership with that village. The lack of access to clean water in Ghana and around the world is astonishing and is the number one felt need in the communities we work. 

Along with the project work to provide access to clean water, The Water Ride continues to grow year after year. The Water Ride is our signature annual event to raise both awareness and funds for our work in Ghana and we've had a blast with it! Leading up to the 2016 event, we published a few stories titled "WHY I RIDE" and it was a huge hit. These stories came from riders both past and present who shared the reason they participate in The Water Ride. This year, we will be releasing one WHY I RIDE post every month so make sure to check the website and follow us on social media so you never miss a story. As we began to look forward into 2017 we felt it was a perfect time to expand our website content to better articulate both what we're doing and how we're doing it.

So, we're pleased to present THEMOVEPROJECT.ORG/WATER! Within this new landing page you'll be able to explore:      

• Why Water?
• Register for future Water Ride events
• View event pictures
• Read 'WHY I RIDE' posts

We will continue to add new content so check back often. While you're on the site, check out ways you can get involved this year as well.

Go explore!

Year End Giving - One Final Push for 2016

As the sun begins to set on 2016, we've taken a moment to reflect on all that has occurred over the last twelve months and what a year it's been! Our signature event, The Water Ride, was a huge success and the largest we've had to date. We were able to visit our friends in Tsipasi and you can be sure the message was relayed to them that we are all still with them. We let them know that YOU are still with them by participating, donating, engaging, spreading the word, and giving your time and voice to help improve their station. As you can imagine, the smiles were everywhere! They are eternally grateful for all you have done.

At the beginning of December a call to action was put out to help push the construction project to completion and you responded! A more formal announcement will be coming soon, but you all responded in a mighty way! As construction nears completion we have the honor of beginning to put phase two in place which is the outfitting of the school with supplies, desks, chairs as well as begin the hiring process of our faculty. More on this in the coming days.

As you consider your year end gift giving, TMP would be honored to be included in those plans. Donating is simple and 100% of your donations go directly to our projects. No one here gets paid, we have no office space, and all work is done on a voluntary basis or covered via specific sponsorship. While this makes the work slow going it has been part of the plan since day 1. We've structured this way to ensure that all of your hard earned dollars go directly to impacting those we're serving. 

Click HERE to donate today and thank you for your continued support!

SO CLOSE!!

We are so excited to let you know that between Thanksgiving and Giving Tuesday, we have received over $1,500 in donations to The Move Project Academy. That means we are only $500 away from being able to complete the construction of the school! This is huge!

Thank you to all who have stepped forward and backed this school, we are forever grateful! Share the news far and wide and encourage your circle of friends and family to jump on board.

Let's get the final $500 by the end of the week. Deal?!

#GivingTuesday Selfie!

As we approach Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and #GivingTuesday we thought it would be fun to take a break from all the madness and snap some selfies! Between now and Giving Tuesday, November 29th, share your selfie support with your friends and family.

Join in by:

1. printing a #TMPGives sign and write why you give of your time, talent, and resources.
2. Take a selfie and share it on social media using #TMPGives
3. encourage your friends and family to get involved as well

You can find us on Instagram @The_Move_Project 

Say Cheese!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

As I look forward to Thanksgiving this week, I can't help but reflect and be grateful for how you have supported The Move Project through the years. It is easy to get caught up in the seemingly mundane project work, worrying if we're proceeding too slowly, if our neighbors in Tsipasi fully understand how committed we are as we chip away at the needs on their behalf. I'd love for all the money to be here, right now, but if that were to happen the journey would look different and it wouldn't include most of you. So, for that, I'm truly thankful for all of you. Some have been involved since TMP's inception and others have joined along the way and we couldn't have done anything without each of you. 

I've met some of you on the street and I've meet hundreds of you at The Water Ride. It's truly amazing to look back and see how our paths has crossed. The vision behind TMP is always to include as many people as we can to see what we can accomplish together. It's been clear from the start that this work takes a village and you've shown up. You've answered the call. Over the years you have shown up at the homeless shelter to serve those less fortunate. You have installed water wells to provide access to clean water for two communities that had never had access before. You are now in the middle of building a primary school for nearly 200 children so they can learn in a safe and productive environment. You're doing this and for that I'm thankful. 

May you go in peace this Thanksgiving holiday and take a moment to reflect on all there is to be thankful for.

-Nick

The Water Ride 2016 Event Recap

The Water Ride 2016 is in the books and the event was a blast! This year was our best event to date as we doubled our rider participation to a total of 102 and we raised just over $2,700. This year's event proceeds will be going directly to the construction of The Move Project Academy in Tsipasi, Ghana. We would like to thank each and every rider who participated and our event Sponsor, Des Moines Water Works. Without the partnerships and rider engagement, this event would still be just floating around as a dream. You all made this into a reality and because of that, over 200 children will receive a quality education! 

As I'm sure you've heard us say before, we are invested in the community of Tsipasi and events like this enable our work to continue. The children will have access to education that hasn't before existed, and the adults are seeing the lives of their children be changed. 

We are already beginning to prepare for the 2017 ride and we'd love to have you along. We are looking for a few people with a passion for event planning and cycling. If that is you, email me at Nick@themoveproject.org.

Cheers!  

From Cycling to Education

As Nelson Mandela says, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

Education is an investment and is the most critical investment that we can make. Around the globe, over 61 million children are out of school and over half of these children do not have the opportunity to attend school due to harsh living conditions.

Education is the key to reducing poverty, preventing needless deaths and illnesses, and fostering peace within our communities and our world. Education is something so many of use take for granted; as it is something we are so accustomed to. Growing up in America, it is normal to attend primary school. It is normal for parents to sit down with their children and teach them how to read, write, and count. In villages like Tsipasi, education has not historically been available.

Until now.

We have the opportunity to give the gift of education to over 150 children in the Tsipasi community!

In order to complete the construction of The Move Project Academy, which will serve all primary grade levels, we need to raise $8,500. Our goal is to have the funds raised and construction completed by the end of the year so we can open TMP Academy's doors when the children return from Winter break.

The support we have received from the villagers of Tsipasi has been incredible. Nick (TMP co-founder) visited Tsipasi two weeks ago and during his visit the village presented a fundraising idea they could participate in. Watermelon is a huge crop for Tsipasi from June - August, Ghana's dry season, and Tsipasi is one of only a handful of communities that are able to grow this crop during this time. Because of this, the demand for watermelon increases dramatically and the market price obviously goes up. With this in mind, Tsipasi will be planting three acres of watermelon and donating back to TMP Academy all the proceeds from those three acres! As you can see, this community is all in!

In efforts to raise the remaining $8,500 here in the Unites States, we are hosting the fourth annual Water Ride. If you sign up today, you can use promo code SUMMERSWEETNESS and save $5 off the cost of registration. Promo code is good for today only and ends at midnight Central time.

The 25-mile bike ride is taking place on August 27th in Des Moines and begins at 1pm at Orlondo's. If you are unable to participate, please consider either making a donation to TMP Academy or sponsor someone who is riding in the event.

You can be the change! Help us end the cycle of poverty today by registering for The Water Ride.

A BIG THANK YOU goes out to our signature sponsor, Des Moines Water Works! 100% of the proceeds from this event will go to our education work in Tsipasi and we couldn't do that without their partnership!

Summer Trips to Ghana

This Summer, we were able to take two trips to Ghana. We took the first trip in July and spent some time checking on The Move Project Academy school building project.

We are thrilled with how this project is moving along. The building looks great and the crew is hard at work to make sure TMP Academy is ready as soon as possible for the children of Tsipasi. As the construction progresses, we continue to spend time with members of the village in an effort to form long lasting relationships. It is important to us that we stand along side those we serve, getting to know them as people and forming bonds that will last a lifetime. It is in these moments that we get the most joy and consider ourselves so fortunate to take part in this restorative work...and it couldn't happen without you! The Move Project and the people of Tsipasi thank you for your support. 

We followed the site visit with a meeting with women of the village. It quickly became clear the village has some very engaging women leaders.

Tsipasi relies fully on agriculture as its livelihood which keeps everyone busy with the tasks associated with farming their land. In the dry season, however, it is a different story. Without crops to plant, tend to, and harvest, the women of Tsipasi are left without a trade.

That is where TMP will come in. The community expressed a desire to learn entrepreneurial skills that will benefit their families and launch small businesses. We will be working to empower the women of Tsipasi which will further the vision of helping this community alleviate poverty. More to come on these programs as they take shape over the course of this next year.

A little over a month later, we returned as part of a larger group trip to Ghana. TMP partnered with two other non-profit organizations working in Ghana, Acts 2 Collective and AgriHope.

AgriHope is an organization that trains farmers to increase their yields using sustainable farming practices. AgriHope and The Move Project have partnered to bring this training to Tsipasi. To kick off our second trip, representatives from AgriHope reviewed a plan to use the 1-2 acre plot the community donated to TMP Academy to support the school's meal program. The plot of land will be used to train farmers using proven, sustainable farming practices. They will then be able to take their training and apply it to their plots of land. By using the learned practices, the farmers of Tsipasi will be able to achieve better yields which will be one more step on the path to full sustainability as a community. There is a lot of excitement stirring in Tsipasi and this next year will prove to be full of growth and development. 

First things first, however, let's get that school built and ready for the kids. We are roughly half-way to completion, will you join us and donate today?

Education Structure in Ghana - Introduction

As we continue to progress through our largest project yet, The Move Project Academy, we'll not only be sharing updates on that progress but will also communicate how the education system works in Ghana. Although it is comparable to the United States, there are a few significant differences. Over the course of the next three blog posts we'll break down the Ghanaian education system into two parts and the third post will outline the current state of education with a focus on rural education. We will outline how The Move Project Academy will impact that current state for the good of the children we serve in Tsipasi and surrounding villages.

As we've mentioned before, we fully anticipate educating more children than live in Tsipasi once the school is fully functional. Quality education is extremely difficult to find in these rural villages and cost also plays a factor in lack of attendance. The Move Project Academy will work to remedy both of these factors to ensure a quality education for these children. Our immediate plans however factor in roughly 167 school aged children from ages 3-14 yrs old. Our school plans will accommodate grades 1 - 6 and we will utilize the existing structure to develop our KG/Nursery Class, which equates to Kindergarten here in the United States.

The general education structure in Ghana operates on a 6-3-4-4 system:

• Primary School - 6 Years
  • (U.S. Equivalent - Grades 1-6)
• Junior Secondary/High School - 3 Years
  • (U.S. Equivalent - Grades 7-9)
  • Following the completion of grade 9, students write exams to gain entry into Senior Secondary School
• Senior Secondary School - 4 years
  • (U.S. Equivalent - Grades 10-12, +1)

Not every child continues their education beyond Junior Secondary/High School. In order to gain admittance into Senior Secondary School the students must take the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). Continuing education is highly competitive and only a small amount of the total student population (roughly 150,000 nationally) gains entrance annually. 

Our next post will dive into Primary School in Ghana and continue to shed light on the vision and impact we expect The Move Project Academy will have in Tsipasi.

Water Ride Event Re-Cap

This past Saturday, we held our third annual Water Ride. We are thrilled to hold this event every year and we thank everyone who participated to make the event a success!

A very special THANK YOU to our signature sponsor,  Des Moines Water Works. They have been a trusted partner for all three years and for that we are truly grateful!

It is because of partnerships like this that allow us to send 100% of the proceeds from this event, and all previous rides, directly to our ongoing efforts in Ghana. The Water Ride began as a ride to raise funds and awareness for the clean water crisis impacting the villages we have partnered with in Ghana.

These villages, Tsipasi and Korpehem, had never had access to clean water prior to 2014 when we were fortunate enough to install three wells in total.  As this event continues to grow, so do the opportunities to make a profound impact in the lives the the villagers we serve.

As we've mentioned before, we have begun constructing The Move Project Academy to educate nearly 200 children in Tsipasi and surrounding villages. Now that they have access to clean water the next need was education. Through events like The Water Ride, we have begun to transform the future of these villagers.

This year's event saw over 35 riders raise more than $1,180! To date, The Water Ride alone has raised over $22,500! What an impact! Check out our Instagram page (@The_Move_Project) to see photos from the event. We look forward to seeing you on an upcoming ride!

The Move Project's Water Ride

A few years back we began the event that is now known as The Water Ride. To read about how it all began, click here. The event began as an opportunity for some people to get together one Saturday afternoon and ride for a cause. That cause is clean water. It was a blast and money was raised  so we planned a second, and now a third! The event has even spun off (pun intended) into a series of indoor cycling events all to raise funds for our ongoing water projects in Ghana, West Africa.

This year, the rides will not only benefit our water projects but they will also serve our school, The Move Project Academy, which will provide an education to roughly 167 children in Tsipasi, Ghana. Working to provide this village with clean water was exhilarating and we've now taken the next step to disrupt the cycle of poverty through education.

Over the past two years, including our latest ride in 2015, over $21,000 has been raised to install three wells in two communities and recently, the beginning of the school project. Having access to clean water and education is something we often take for granted and we're amazed to see the progress of our projects on the ground and the impact they are having on these communities. Now, because these villages have access to clean water, the children will spend less time fetching water for activities of daily life, and more time in school receiving the proper education they need to take the next steps in life.

Children fetching water in Tsipasi, Ghana

For those of you familiar with the Des Moines (IA) metro, this year's ride will begin at Orlandos, lead you to Mullets, Cumming Tap and back. At the end of the ride, there will be food and drink specials along with live music to close out the night. So, we'd love to have you ride and hang out with us when you're done, all in the name of clean water and education. Check out the full route and event details by clicking the button below.

Can't make the ride? Please consider donating to this important cause. 

Register now and use TWRFRIENDS for $5 off your ticket price.

Let's ride, friends!

4th Grade Thank Yous

We were recently asked to present the mission of The Move Project to a group of fourth graders at Whittier Elementary in Indianola, IA. The class specifically wanted to hear about our clean water projects in Ghana.

A few weeks prior to our visit, they had discussed the global water crisis. In each classroom the kids were given an article on this crisis that they read and discussed as a group. Once they were finished, we came in to facilitate additional conversation on how important clean water is to people, especially since we take this item for granted in the United States. With pictures, stories of meeting people in the villages we serve through our projects, and demonstrations, the children were able to further engage with the topic.

It is staggering the amount of people globally that do not have access to clean water! It is currently estimated that roughly 358 million people are without access in Africa alone. We discussed how lack of access to clean water impacts children just like them. In Africa, women and children spend about 140 million hours a day just collecting water. In most cases, the water they are collecting is contaminated and causes illness when consumed, which keeps kids out of school. If kids are out of school, they aren't properly educated. Without proper education their lives are profoundly negatively impacted. This cycle plays a significant role in the extreme poverty we still see today.

 Having access to clean water disrupts that cycle.

We spent our time with these elementary children talking about how we can help. There are very practical things they can do as children to impact the lives of other children on the other side of the world. They were also able to carry a jar of water on their heads to get a better sense of what collecting water really means in Africa. As they learned, it's not as easy as turning on the faucet or getting a drink out of the fountain.

We received some wonderful questions from the children following our visit that we'll be responding to this week on our Facebook page. We also received some very creative and colorful Thank You cards which we'll highlight on our Instagram account (@The_Move_Project) with the hashtag #4thGradeThankYous. Give us a follow to see the wonderful creations!

TMP Academy Construction Update

Work on The Move Project Academy has begun! We broke ground on Monday, April 13th with a ceremony with the Chief of Tsipasi, Mr. Nene Azagodo Kabu.

View fullsize

TMP Academy groudbreaking with Chief Nene Azagodo Kabu

We are thrilled to see the beginning stages of what was once just a vision on paper spring to life. We have heard on multiple occasions from Michael (pictured above in TMP t-shirt), our TMP Ghana representative, how excited the village of Tsipasi is to have the school project underway. In January we discussed with the village leaders what the next step were as we partner with them to break the cycle of poverty in this rural area.

The obvious need was access to a quality education. 

Following the groundbreaking on April 13th, the crew got right to work! 

Today, the village provides what they can for the roughly 167 children that need schooling. As a community partner, The Move Project is investing in the long term with this village and we are honored to provide a high-quality education for the next generation. We strongly believe that access to education is paramount in the fight against poverty.

We originally joined with Tsipasi by installing a clean water well in order to disrupt the poverty cycle. Now that the well is in and working beautifully, our next move is the school project.

As you can see, we are tackling the very large issue of poverty one step at a time. The projects that we've undertaken are specific to the village as it relates to their needs but you'll notice a general pattern: Water > Education > Sustainability

We believe that by joining hands with the village as a partner, we can have lasting impact that will bring about significant change. Click HERE to learn more about Tsipasi.

We would be honored if you would join us by donating to the work we're doing in Ghana. We posted the line item budget a few weeks ago for the Academy that outlines where the fund will be going. You can click HERE to see that post.