• February 2024: Sekmonds - our afterschool club for girls and young women is expanding to Tafo; to be run be Madam Mary under the guidance of wonderful Irene 

• January 2024 - Funding allocated to support 21 students to continue/ begin in the secondary senior schools (SSS). This includes 15 young women and 6 young men with each receiving on average $150 to cover school fees and essential supplies. 

• January/ February 2024: a further two volunteers, Mike and Max visit our projects

• December 2023: We receive two volunteers - Flora and Lucie, our first since Covid 19 - please read their stories!

• November 2023: Incredibly sad news for our project as former UVO student and professional footballer Raphael Dwamena passes away

• October 2023: Over $2000 in funding allocated to replace the Computers in Mpraeso School and provide projector

• September 2023: We link up with Workaway website to enable us to find motivated volunteers. We have agreed to waive all fees in the interim period to encourage volunteering at our projects.

• Autumn 2023 - Funding allocated for Mpraeso school science lab with a range of resources as well as renovations to the building and furniture to create an exciting new resource and conducive learning environment

• Aug 2023: We're hosting a virtual meeting about volunteering in West Africa. Register here (via Evite)

• Jan 2023:

  • Culture Center video

  • Health and Wellness education, Mpraeso R/C Basic School

  • Many more photos posted to our facebook page

• 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.

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.

Update: A Tribute to Raphael

With incredible sadness it was learned that former UVO star pupil passed away on 11th November 2023. 

https://news.sky.com/story/former-ghana-striker-raphael-dwamena-dies-aged-28-after-collapsing-on-pitch-13006498 

In a footballing sense, Raphael was the superstar of UVOs academy, making a living in the top leagues of Europe and we are so very proud of him. He never forgot the efforts we made to support him as a boy and young man and continued to support the academy in terms of equipment and advice for our boys. 

The passage below was Raphael's statement regards his early development with UVO.

''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.''

Raphaels funeral took place in Ghana in February 2024 and was attended by all his former peers and teachers from UVO projects. Rest in peace Raphael.

Susana was a brilliant student, attending at Kwahu Praso local schools where she first came across our projects and teachers. Many years later she completed Senior Secondary School (SSS) with excellent grades and had managed to secure offers from two top universities. 

Susana says

"After Senior School I had a dream in becoming a Physician Assistant but sadly my family were simply not in a position to fund this opportunity for me. I am grateful to UVO project for large contribution to continue my education and chance to pursue my career!"

For UVO it was a no-brainer to contribute towards Susana school fees and educational supplies so she could attend Presbyterian University. As of 2023 she has recently year 1 with excellent grades. 

"If you educate a man you have educated an individual but if you educate a woman, you have educated a nation."

"I am Stephen Bannah, currently 27 years old, pursuing a Master of Philosophy in Accounting at the University of Ghana, generously sponsored by Ultimate Voluntary Organization. 

I joined Ultimate Football Academy at age 11 where I had the opportunity to continue my primary education at the Ultimate Academy Preparatory School from basic 5. Attending Ultimate preparatory school was a delightful experience, as it fostered a collective commitment among students to master English language. Given that most of our instructors were predominantly the volunteers and communicated solely in English, mastering the language became a shared goal for all students. 

Other volunteers from Spain, Croatia, Japan, and France like Sylvan, Branka, Ivana and Kristina also made great effort to teach us their respective languages. These experiences made me develop love for both education and football because I had the opportunity to mingle with individuals from various countries both in the classroom and on the pitch. Interacting with these volunteers taught me invaluable lessons: the importance of respect, humility, and compassion towards others. I remember the day when Branka and Ivana, both from Croatia, visited my school. Although it was raining, we’ve got ourselves some jackets to shield us from the downpour back to the academy hostel. 

Despite not coming from a wealthy family, the love and support I received from Ultimate Academy surpassed the benefits of wealth and privilege. Ultimate academy had unwavering faith in my abilities, sponsoring my tertiary education once again. This support led to me being awarded a first-class degree from the University of Education, Winneba. My aspiration is to become a lecturer and consultant, aiming to positively influence the lives of young individuals. Most importantly, I aspire to extend my assistance to the underprivileged, inspired by the support I received from Ultimate Academy during my times of need."

You can even read some of Stephen's publications here:

https://www.authoraid.info/en/news/details/1903/

https://www.authoraid.info/en/news/details/1926/

Yin Jessica was one of the first students attending Sekmond Girls' projects in 2019. She joined at the time when she felt all hope was lost as her parents had recently separated as a couple. 

Upon joining the foundation, hope began to show in her face as she gained advice and support from our tutors and practical support in the form of sanitaries, feeding, and other personal needs. 

Furthermore, her father's death was a huge blow as she was about to write her Junior Level exams but she managed to pass well through hard work and diligence. Due to guidance and financial support from WAVO and Sekmonds, Jessica was able to make it to Senior High School. 

As of 2023, she is attending a general science programme at Abetifi Presbyterian Senior High School.

I am Hodey Raphael, born on August 8, 2006, in Ekye Amanfrom, a secluded town situated in the Kwahu Afram Plain South district within the Eastern Region of Ghana. I joined Ultimate Voluntary Organization in 2017 driven by my deep passion for football. 

Ultimate academy was reputed to be among the finest football academies in Kwahu, and though my parents were the ones who ultimately made the decision, we were all aware of its esteemed reputation. Prior to joining Ultimate Academy, my schooling wasn’t really encouraging. My primary interest lay in playing football with my friends, and I often wandered around town, especially since we resided near the riverbank, where fishing and exploring were popular pastimes among the local children. 

When I joined Ultimate Academy, I was enrolled in Primary 5 at the Presbyterian School in Kwahu Tafo, where I experienced a significant shift in my educational journey. The academy’s primary objective is to offer quality education alongside comprehensive football training to the young individuals, especially those from underprivileged background. I thoroughly enjoy my time on the pitch, mostly surrounded by awesome volunteers who consistently impart new skills. Staying in the academy hostel feels like being at home, as we children regard ourselves as one big family. 

Currently, I am in my second year at senior High School where I offer woodworks as course at St. Joseph Technical Institute. Through the perfect combination of football and academics, I have seen a substantial improvement in my life, and I am optimistic that this balanced approach will pave the way for me to become a professional player that I have always dreamed off.