We're endlessly fascinated by Adinkra symbols. These are interesting visuals that represent concepts or original thoughts. The symbols are believed to originate in Cote d'Ivorie. According to an Ashanti legend, Adinkra was the name of a king of the Gyaman kingdom, Nana Kofi Adinkra. In Ghana, you see these symbols everywhere - on batik fabric, woodcarvings, pottery, even on the plastic chairs that we are seated in when we visit the homes of our Ghanaian friends. The Rising Vi

Rising Village has two groups of people we serve in the communities where we work in Ghana: orphaned children and single mothers. These are the most vulnerable of the village population. The students we work with do not live in orphanages, but with relatives who have taken them in after the death of or abandonment by a parent. Child trafficking is a serious problem in Ghana, and many of these children are at risk of ending up in the hands of these traffickers. We provide scho

Rising Village has two groups of people we serve in the communities where we work in Ghana: orphaned children and single mothers. These are the most vulnerable of the village population. The students we work with do not live in orphanages, but with relatives who have taken them in after the death of or abandondment by a parent. Child trafficking is a serious problem in Ghana, and many of these children are at risk of ending up in the hands of these traffickers. We provide sch

We are so proud of these two young ladies! In April, Philomena and Dorcas took their high school entrance exams and are now waiting to find out where they will attend high school. Both students have had a year full of changes and challenges. There have been several times when we were praying they didn't give up and quit - it would have been so easy. But they have continued attending school, working hard, and moving toward their dream of finishing their education. It's difficu

Caleb now has a sponsor, which means all twelve of the students in our Education program have been matched with people who are giving generously to ensure these kids can attend school and receive good nutrition. Sponsorship does make a difference. The students know that there is someone who wants them to stay in school, and has commited to help make that happen. It's important for a child to know that there are those beyond his or her village who are cheering them on, believi

Dignity. This word echoes in our purpose and mission: to transform villages through family preservation. We believe that God has created each person, loves each person, and desires a relationship with each person. Because of this, He is saddened when his beloved creation lives in brokenness. He desires that each person live the life that He has created for them, and when people are trapped in poverty, imprisoned in injustice, and blocked from resources, God's heart is to rele

Caleb Benjamin Sampson Ezekiel We assess new entrants into our programs every few months, and we now have four young men who have entered our student sponsorship program and are eager to begin school. Here are their stories: Benjamin is nine years old and lives in the village of Mpobi, Ghana. His parents died when he was a young boy, and so he has been unable to attend school full-time. He lives with his grandmother and his brother, Caleb. His grandmother has no source of inc

Dorcas Philomena We first met Philomena fifteen months ago. She and her brother Maxwell live with their elderly grandmother who barely is able to support herself, and is unable to pay school fees for both children. So Maxwell was in and out of school, depending on when funds were available, and Philomena was at home doing chores all day. We could tell she was bright, and she shared with us her dream for the future - to go back to school and someday become a nurse. Dorcas also

My name is Victor Owusu-Ansah, the program coordinator for Mpobi and Ejuratia. I coordinate the Income Generation, Education, and Family Health programs in these two villages. Mpobi and Ejuratia are small communities with a population of about 400-500 people in each village. They are deprived areas and therefore most of the people are very poor, with their main occupation susbsistence farming. Since Rising Village began working in these villages, there has been a very positiv

by Isaac Darkwah Akromah, Ghana Director Dumakyi village is isolated and characterized with scattered mud houses. It is a farming community which has settlers from the Northern region of Ghana who came to settle in the village to be caretakers and laborers on farms. The village is about an hour walking distance through the bush from Ankaase. Dumakyi has no electricity and the only social amenity in this village is an elementary school, which is the heart of the village. The s

Taking care of orphaned children is an important part of our mission. But what about the families that take care of the orphaned children? These kinship foster families are often already overburdened, and taking in another child can add to the burden. Since caring for an orphaned child means more food on the table is needed, we want to support these families by providing them with supplemental food. For just $100, you can provide a family with rice, Milo, and milk powder for

The village of Dumakyi goes dark when the sun sets. There is no electricity in this small farming community in the Ashanti region of Ghana, and flashlight batteries are hard to come by. It’s hard to imagine the depth of night time darkness in a place where no light exists. The children in this village have no way to read, study, or prepare for school the next day after the sun sets, about 6 p.m., so we decided to find a group of people who might be willing to help the childre

What if you decided to give up something up so that vulnerable families in a low-income country could rise? Mamuna Moro is a mother of three children who lives in the village of Nantan. She carries the responsibility for the income of her family. Her husband, Ali, was in a motorcar accident two years ago and his foot had to be amputated. After the accident, the couple had to give up farming and Mamuna now supports the family by selling porridge. She buys all the ingredients f