WAVO
Welcome!
WAVO’s mission is to improve the lives of West Africans, primarily those living in poverty. We've partnered with a fantastic, grass-roots organization named UVO in Kwahu-Tafo, Ghana to provide opportunities for international volunteers.
Updates
Jan 2023:
Health and Wellness education, Mpraeso R/C Basic School
December 2022: We were able to provide a lot of support and accomplish a lot this year!
Reviving the culture center has gone well and they have regular performances at public events now
Despite rising costs we have made improvements to the boys' hostel and increased funding to support food purchases every month
Irene continues to run Sekmonds Girls' club and has seen a lot of interest in the new school year that started fall, 2022.
Mpraeso R/C Basic School had a lot of success this year, being designated a model school for the region. We are proud supporters of the school, providing supplies, improvements, and equipment to have a better education experience for students and teachers (books, writing supplies, computers, projector, water improvements, maintenance, and others).
We had some special cases to deal with this year, including a serious injury to one of the boy's knee. Medical advice was sought and we were able to provide an operation that has mostly corrected the issue. David is doing well and in physiotherapy to help heal.
April 2022: We are super excited to restart and fund Sekmonds Girls' Club, which is run by a woman named Irene who teaches in the nearby town (Mpraeso). She is dedicated to helping young women learn, grow, and be successful in a difficult environment.
March 2022: We are proud to be sponsoring a series of projects for the 300 students of Mpraeso Roman Catholic Elementary School, including:
Improve the facilities to meet basic standards (hygiene)
Provide better learning materials for students and teachers (digital projector, textbooks, computers)
Provide materials for better school-related activities like sports, STEM clubs, and music
February 2022: Greg visits Tafo to reconnect the UVO, 16 years after first meeting! Photo album here. He visited Collins, Albert, Bannah, Foster, and Isaac, a few of the boys who have been with the program for almost 20 years (and are all grown up).
February 2020: Rory visits Tafo; photo album here. Below, hear from Collins and Raphael, two of the boys who grew up at the hostel and have now begun their adult careers.
December 2019: We are an officially registered charity of PayPal's giving fund. Anyone can now make a donation to WAVO and pay no fees! bit.ly/2PaQCdG
November 2019: Lots of new photos sent over by Eric
October 2019: We are officially registered as a 501c3 public charity. Our work can officially begin in raising funds and finding volunteers.
Why Volunteer?
"We need more people to visit Africa to see the progress but also to see how much needs to be done." - Bill Gates, 2019
Create an unforgettable experience that will change your views of Africa, Ghana, and yourself
Meet some remarkable people, including both the kids and the wonderful leaders we partner with locally
Provide support to children in poverty by mentoring, volunteering in schools, coaching sports teams, and participating in cultural activities
Help fulfill basic needs (housing, food, education, clothing) for dozens of children and young adults - 100% of all donations directly benefit the kids
Why Donate?
A little goes a long way. The cost of food for one child in Ghana is about $20 USD per month. School fees are expensive for local people but a bargain compared with school tuition in America.
Course tuition and books for a college student in Ghana are around only $500 USD. For elementary students, this is closer to $50 USD for the year. Any donation amount therefore covers a lot of need.
Words from the Boys
Collins Frimpong
(College graduation photo)
Collins is one of 6 students that UVO has supported onto University over the previous five years. Attending university in this part of the world is expensive and a privilege very few gain. This is an incredible achievement for us – that we have supported children that would never have had this chance.
He writes:
My name is Collins Frimpong and I have been with the project for more than a decade. I joined with the motive to play football alone but through proper initiatives which was laid down by the executives of the project, they were able to assist me through out my high school program and my university as well and now holding a Bachelor Degree In Administration which was funded in large part through the project.
Am praying that one day I will be able to fill the shoe of our executives when they retire so that I can help continue the good work of the Organization.
There has been spoken many challenges I encountered throughout the time I spent there and the major one is when volunteers stop visiting the project it's made things very complicated in the sense that they do support the organization to pay our fees and provide us with training kits so if we were not getting such assistance from them again, it's was very challenging.
There are so many favorites moments that I have encountered since I joined the organization but my favorite among them all is when we won the Coca Cola Under 17 tournament at the Eastern Region in 2010.
Raphael Dwamena
(With Ghana Black Stars team, top row, third from left)
In a footballing sense, Raphael is really the superstar of UVOs academy, making a living in the top leagues of Europe (currently Spain) and we are so very proud of him. He has not forgotten the efforts we made to support him as a boy and young man and now he supports the academy in terms of equipment and advice for our boys.
We have multiple other children that have gone on to have a career in football, coaching or fitness management.
Raphael writes:
I've been with UVO for 6-7 years. UVO gave me a lot of teachings as a young player and a person, words of encouragement. As a young boy, I never knew Christ but through UVO, the Lord allowed me to learn more about Him; which today has really helped me grow as a young man.
Feeding was a problem for us since we didn't have a lot of support from outside. The management always gave us the best and that's been an encouragement for me. They're seeking not their own personal desires but the best for the players. I would like to support the organisation and give the rest of the young kids the best they could have.
My highlight was winning the coca cola tournament and sharing great moments with Volunteers.