We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us something is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human existence. - e.e. cummings In October of 2013, our Ghana director, Isaac, assessed two siblings in Ankaase for entrance into the Rising Village Student Sponsorship program. These were our first two st

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

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

In January of 2014, Jennifer Agyemong entered our Income Generation program as a seamstress apprentice. She immediately began making creations of her own, including children's clothing. A courier brought some of her dresses back from Ghana in September, 2014 and we began selling them to provide her with income. Every three or four months, we have enough to send her income from the sales, and she is now receiving part of the labor cost we pay to our seamstress in Ghana who hel

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

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

by Lisa Tresch, Rising Village Executive Director Many years ago, when my husband and I were deciding whether to give to a large nonprofit that worked in lower-income countries, we focused on three things to help us make our decision: 1) a clear and passionate communication about their mission and purpose, 2) transparency about how they used our funds, and 3) stories about the difference our money was making in the lives of real people. In two previous posts, I wrote about ou