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From Fourth Grade to High School: Maxwell Rises to the Challenge

Sep 21, 2018
2 min

From Fourth Grade to High School: Maxwell Rises to the Challenge

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

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Dress Clothes and A Christmas Chicken

Dec 27, 2017
2 min

Dress Clothes and A Christmas Chicken

If you happened to be in Ghana last week and were on the dirt road between Nantan and Ankaase, you might have seen a motorized three-wheeler bouncing across the bumpy terrain, carrying a load of live chickens. The "tricycle" was transporting a part of our sponsored students' Christmas gift. Each holiday season, Rising Village sponsors generously provide a small donation for Christmas gifts for their sponsored student. For children who live in villages like Ankaase, Mpobi, and

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North Trip Travel Journal: Stitching Skirts and Learning French

Nov 2, 2017
3 min

North Trip Travel Journal: Stitching Skirts and Learning French

We are in Tamale after a seven-hour bus ride from Kumasi. What a wonderful time to once again reunite and meet the people we serve! I was picked up by a new friend, Emmanuel, who is from Bunkurugu. This is the region where donors helped start a one-week training for women in the craft of Batik, after which the women will be given a loan to start up a trade. The north is already getting dry, but smiles are on the faces of the people we serve. When I travel here, I always sto

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What's the Deal With These Symbols?

Sep 19, 2017
2 min

What's the Deal With These Symbols?

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

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Transcending Language, Building Relationships

Aug 19, 2017
2 min

Transcending Language, Building Relationships

It was our last full day in Ghana - one final time to be with the students. Our team had spent the past four days getting to know the 12 kids in our Education program in Ankaase, and although the adults had been chatty and full of questions, the students had been quiet and careful with their words during our time together. Their first language is not English, it is the regional language of Twi. Not only is the language complicated, but the some of the required sounds are tong

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Educate Girls

Oct 5, 2015
1 min

Educate Girls

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

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Twelve Students Sponsored

Sep 16, 2015
1 min

Twelve Students Sponsored

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

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Let's Do This Together

Jun 18, 2015
2 min

Let's Do This Together

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

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Let's Get Them Back in School!

Feb 25, 2015
2 min

Let's Get Them Back in School!

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

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