We are so excited to let you know that between Thanksgiving and Giving Tuesday, we have received over $1,500 in donations to The Move Project Academy. That means we are only $500 away from being able to complete the construction of the school! This is huge!
Thank you to all who have stepped forward and backed this school, we are forever grateful! Share the news far and wide and encourage your circle of friends and family to jump on board.
Let's get the final $500 by the end of the week. Deal?!
As we approach Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and #GivingTuesday we thought it would be fun to take a break from all the madness and snap some selfies! Between now and Giving Tuesday, November 29th, share your selfie support with your friends and family.
Join in by:
You can find us on Instagram @The_Move_Project
Say Cheese!!
As I look forward to Thanksgiving this week, I can't help but reflect and be grateful for how you have supported The Move Project through the years. It is easy to get caught up in the seemingly mundane project work, worrying if we're proceeding too slowly, if our neighbors in Tsipasi fully understand how committed we are as we chip away at the needs on their behalf. I'd love for all the money to be here, right now, but if that were to happen the journey would look different and it wouldn't include most of you. So, for that, I'm truly thankful for all of you. Some have been involved since TMP's inception and others have joined along the way and we couldn't have done anything without each of you.
I've met some of you on the street and I've meet hundreds of you at The Water Ride. It's truly amazing to look back and see how our paths has crossed. The vision behind TMP is always to include as many people as we can to see what we can accomplish together. It's been clear from the start that this work takes a village and you've shown up. You've answered the call. Over the years you have shown up at the homeless shelter to serve those less fortunate. You have installed water wells to provide access to clean water for two communities that had never had access before. You are now in the middle of building a primary school for nearly 200 children so they can learn in a safe and productive environment. You're doing this and for that I'm thankful.
May you go in peace this Thanksgiving holiday and take a moment to reflect on all there is to be thankful for.
-Nick
The Water Ride 2016 is in the books and the event was a blast! This year was our best event to date as we doubled our rider participation to a total of 102 and we raised just over $2,700. This year's event proceeds will be going directly to the construction of The Move Project Academy in Tsipasi, Ghana. We would like to thank each and every rider who participated and our event Sponsor, Des Moines Water Works. Without the partnerships and rider engagement, this event would still be just floating around as a dream. You all made this into a reality and because of that, over 200 children will receive a quality education!
As I'm sure you've heard us say before, we are invested in the community of Tsipasi and events like this enable our work to continue. The children will have access to education that hasn't before existed, and the adults are seeing the lives of their children be changed.
We are already beginning to prepare for the 2017 ride and we'd love to have you along. We are looking for a few people with a passion for event planning and cycling. If that is you, email me at Nick@themoveproject.org.
Cheers!
As Nelson Mandela says, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."
Education is an investment and is the most critical investment that we can make. Around the globe, over 61 million children are out of school and over half of these children do not have the opportunity to attend school due to harsh living conditions.
Education is the key to reducing poverty, preventing needless deaths and illnesses, and fostering peace within our communities and our world. Education is something so many of use take for granted; as it is something we are so accustomed to. Growing up in America, it is normal to attend primary school. It is normal for parents to sit down with their children and teach them how to read, write, and count. In villages like Tsipasi, education has not historically been available.
Until now.
We have the opportunity to give the gift of education to over 150 children in the Tsipasi community!
In order to complete the construction of The Move Project Academy, which will serve all primary grade levels, we need to raise $8,500. Our goal is to have the funds raised and construction completed by the end of the year so we can open TMP Academy's doors when the children return from Winter break.
The support we have received from the villagers of Tsipasi has been incredible. Nick (TMP co-founder) visited Tsipasi two weeks ago and during his visit the village presented a fundraising idea they could participate in. Watermelon is a huge crop for Tsipasi from June - August, Ghana's dry season, and Tsipasi is one of only a handful of communities that are able to grow this crop during this time. Because of this, the demand for watermelon increases dramatically and the market price obviously goes up. With this in mind, Tsipasi will be planting three acres of watermelon and donating back to TMP Academy all the proceeds from those three acres! As you can see, this community is all in!
In efforts to raise the remaining $8,500 here in the Unites States, we are hosting the fourth annual Water Ride. If you sign up today, you can use promo code SUMMERSWEETNESS and save $5 off the cost of registration. Promo code is good for today only and ends at midnight Central time.
The 25-mile bike ride is taking place on August 27th in Des Moines and begins at 1pm at Orlondo's. If you are unable to participate, please consider either making a donation to TMP Academy or sponsor someone who is riding in the event.
You can be the change! Help us end the cycle of poverty today by registering for The Water Ride.
A BIG THANK YOU goes out to our signature sponsor, Des Moines Water Works! 100% of the proceeds from this event will go to our education work in Tsipasi and we couldn't do that without their partnership!
This Summer, we were able to take two trips to Ghana. We took the first trip in July and spent some time checking on The Move Project Academy school building project.
We are thrilled with how this project is moving along. The building looks great and the crew is hard at work to make sure TMP Academy is ready as soon as possible for the children of Tsipasi. As the construction progresses, we continue to spend time with members of the village in an effort to form long lasting relationships. It is important to us that we stand along side those we serve, getting to know them as people and forming bonds that will last a lifetime. It is in these moments that we get the most joy and consider ourselves so fortunate to take part in this restorative work...and it couldn't happen without you! The Move Project and the people of Tsipasi thank you for your support.
We followed the site visit with a meeting with women of the village. It quickly became clear the village has some very engaging women leaders.
Tsipasi relies fully on agriculture as its livelihood which keeps everyone busy with the tasks associated with farming their land. In the dry season, however, it is a different story. Without crops to plant, tend to, and harvest, the women of Tsipasi are left without a trade.
That is where TMP will come in. The community expressed a desire to learn entrepreneurial skills that will benefit their families and launch small businesses. We will be working to empower the women of Tsipasi which will further the vision of helping this community alleviate poverty. More to come on these programs as they take shape over the course of this next year.
A little over a month later, we returned as part of a larger group trip to Ghana. TMP partnered with two other non-profit organizations working in Ghana, Acts 2 Collective and AgriHope.
AgriHope is an organization that trains farmers to increase their yields using sustainable farming practices. AgriHope and The Move Project have partnered to bring this training to Tsipasi. To kick off our second trip, representatives from AgriHope reviewed a plan to use the 1-2 acre plot the community donated to TMP Academy to support the school's meal program. The plot of land will be used to train farmers using proven, sustainable farming practices. They will then be able to take their training and apply it to their plots of land. By using the learned practices, the farmers of Tsipasi will be able to achieve better yields which will be one more step on the path to full sustainability as a community. There is a lot of excitement stirring in Tsipasi and this next year will prove to be full of growth and development.
First things first, however, let's get that school built and ready for the kids. We are roughly half-way to completion, will you join us and donate today?
As we continue to progress through our largest project yet, The Move Project Academy, we'll not only be sharing updates on that progress but will also communicate how the education system works in Ghana. Although it is comparable to the United States, there are a few significant differences. Over the course of the next three blog posts we'll break down the Ghanaian education system into two parts and the third post will outline the current state of education with a focus on rural education. We will outline how The Move Project Academy will impact that current state for the good of the children we serve in Tsipasi and surrounding villages.
As we've mentioned before, we fully anticipate educating more children than live in Tsipasi once the school is fully functional. Quality education is extremely difficult to find in these rural villages and cost also plays a factor in lack of attendance. The Move Project Academy will work to remedy both of these factors to ensure a quality education for these children. Our immediate plans however factor in roughly 167 school aged children from ages 3-14 yrs old. Our school plans will accommodate grades 1 - 6 and we will utilize the existing structure to develop our KG/Nursery Class, which equates to Kindergarten here in the United States.
The general education structure in Ghana operates on a 6-3-4-4 system:
Not every child continues their education beyond Junior Secondary/High School. In order to gain admittance into Senior Secondary School the students must take the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). Continuing education is highly competitive and only a small amount of the total student population (roughly 150,000 nationally) gains entrance annually.
Our next post will dive into Primary School in Ghana and continue to shed light on the vision and impact we expect The Move Project Academy will have in Tsipasi.
This past Saturday, we held our third annual Water Ride. We are thrilled to hold this event every year and we thank everyone who participated to make the event a success!
A very special THANK YOU to our signature sponsor, Des Moines Water Works. They have been a trusted partner for all three years and for that we are truly grateful!
It is because of partnerships like this that allow us to send 100% of the proceeds from this event, and all previous rides, directly to our ongoing efforts in Ghana. The Water Ride began as a ride to raise funds and awareness for the clean water crisis impacting the villages we have partnered with in Ghana.
These villages, Tsipasi and Korpehem, had never had access to clean water prior to 2014 when we were fortunate enough to install three wells in total. As this event continues to grow, so do the opportunities to make a profound impact in the lives the the villagers we serve.
As we've mentioned before, we have begun constructing The Move Project Academy to educate nearly 200 children in Tsipasi and surrounding villages. Now that they have access to clean water the next need was education. Through events like The Water Ride, we have begun to transform the future of these villagers.
This year's event saw over 35 riders raise more than $1,180! To date, The Water Ride alone has raised over $22,500! What an impact! Check out our Instagram page (@The_Move_Project) to see photos from the event. We look forward to seeing you on an upcoming ride!
A few years back we began the event that is now known as The Water Ride. To read about how it all began, click here. The event began as an opportunity for some people to get together one Saturday afternoon and ride for a cause. That cause is clean water. It was a blast and money was raised so we planned a second, and now a third! The event has even spun off (pun intended) into a series of indoor cycling events all to raise funds for our ongoing water projects in Ghana, West Africa.
This year, the rides will not only benefit our water projects but they will also serve our school, The Move Project Academy, which will provide an education to roughly 167 children in Tsipasi, Ghana. Working to provide this village with clean water was exhilarating and we've now taken the next step to disrupt the cycle of poverty through education.
Over the past two years, including our latest ride in 2015, over $21,000 has been raised to install three wells in two communities and recently, the beginning of the school project. Having access to clean water and education is something we often take for granted and we're amazed to see the progress of our projects on the ground and the impact they are having on these communities. Now, because these villages have access to clean water, the children will spend less time fetching water for activities of daily life, and more time in school receiving the proper education they need to take the next steps in life.
Children fetching water in Tsipasi, Ghana
For those of you familiar with the Des Moines (IA) metro, this year's ride will begin at Orlandos, lead you to Mullets, Cumming Tap and back. At the end of the ride, there will be food and drink specials along with live music to close out the night. So, we'd love to have you ride and hang out with us when you're done, all in the name of clean water and education. Check out the full route and event details by clicking the button below.
Can't make the ride? Please consider donating to this important cause.
Register now and use TWRFRIENDS for $5 off your ticket price.
Let's ride, friends!
We were recently asked to present the mission of The Move Project to a group of fourth graders at Whittier Elementary in Indianola, IA. The class specifically wanted to hear about our clean water projects in Ghana.
A few weeks prior to our visit, they had discussed the global water crisis. In each classroom the kids were given an article on this crisis that they read and discussed as a group. Once they were finished, we came in to facilitate additional conversation on how important clean water is to people, especially since we take this item for granted in the United States. With pictures, stories of meeting people in the villages we serve through our projects, and demonstrations, the children were able to further engage with the topic.
It is staggering the amount of people globally that do not have access to clean water! It is currently estimated that roughly 358 million people are without access in Africa alone. We discussed how lack of access to clean water impacts children just like them. In Africa, women and children spend about 140 million hours a day just collecting water. In most cases, the water they are collecting is contaminated and causes illness when consumed, which keeps kids out of school. If kids are out of school, they aren't properly educated. Without proper education their lives are profoundly negatively impacted. This cycle plays a significant role in the extreme poverty we still see today.
Having access to clean water disrupts that cycle.
We spent our time with these elementary children talking about how we can help. There are very practical things they can do as children to impact the lives of other children on the other side of the world. They were also able to carry a jar of water on their heads to get a better sense of what collecting water really means in Africa. As they learned, it's not as easy as turning on the faucet or getting a drink out of the fountain.
We received some wonderful questions from the children following our visit that we'll be responding to this week on our Facebook page. We also received some very creative and colorful Thank You cards which we'll highlight on our Instagram account (@The_Move_Project) with the hashtag #4thGradeThankYous. Give us a follow to see the wonderful creations!
Work on The Move Project Academy has begun! We broke ground on Monday, April 13th with a ceremony with the Chief of Tsipasi, Mr. Nene Azagodo Kabu.
TMP Academy groudbreaking with Chief Nene Azagodo Kabu
We are thrilled to see the beginning stages of what was once just a vision on paper spring to life. We have heard on multiple occasions from Michael (pictured above in TMP t-shirt), our TMP Ghana representative, how excited the village of Tsipasi is to have the school project underway. In January we discussed with the village leaders what the next step were as we partner with them to break the cycle of poverty in this rural area.
The obvious need was access to a quality education.
Following the groundbreaking on April 13th, the crew got right to work!
Today, the village provides what they can for the roughly 167 children that need schooling. As a community partner, The Move Project is investing in the long term with this village and we are honored to provide a high-quality education for the next generation. We strongly believe that access to education is paramount in the fight against poverty.
We originally joined with Tsipasi by installing a clean water well in order to disrupt the poverty cycle. Now that the well is in and working beautifully, our next move is the school project.
As you can see, we are tackling the very large issue of poverty one step at a time. The projects that we've undertaken are specific to the village as it relates to their needs but you'll notice a general pattern: Water > Education > Sustainability
We believe that by joining hands with the village as a partner, we can have lasting impact that will bring about significant change. Click HERE to learn more about Tsipasi.
We would be honored if you would join us by donating to the work we're doing in Ghana. We posted the line item budget a few weeks ago for the Academy that outlines where the fund will be going. You can click HERE to see that post.
The mission of The Move Project is to pursue holistic poverty alleviation one project at a time.
Our strategy is to create repeatable, sustainable projects that are realized through community engagement.
Our goal is to raise awareness and present opportunities for others to join the pursuit of poverty alleviation through a clear call to action.
To this end, we host annual bike rides for clean water, both indoor and outdoor. We have partnered with the Indianola YMCA to bring our signature event, The Water Ride, indoors. Our latest Indoor Water Ride, held on Saturday, April 11th was a huge success! We saw 77 people jump on a stationary bikes and pedal for clean water, raising just over $2,100!! Because of our generous sponsors, 100% of all event proceeds from The Water Ride (both indoor and outdoor) go directly to our ongoing projects in Ghana, West Africa.
Since the Water Ride's inception, we have had over 370 people participate and a total of $21,353.47 has been raised, and we've installed three wells to provide access to clean water for villages that have NEVER had access!
We couldn't be more thrilled about this progress and we have YOU to thank! We are so grateful for your participation over the years and we look forward to seeing you at an upcoming ride.
If you haven't ridden in a Water Ride event yet, don't worry. We have our annual outdoor event coming up on Saturday, May 16th and we would love to have you ride. Click the Register Now button below to purchase your ticket today.
If you aren't local to Des Moines or aren't available but still want to participate, you can give using the "Donation" ticket!
Educational opportunities will be presented to inform riders on the need and importance of clean water as well as the water projects we are currently working on and are planning for the future.
We received confirmation that the first set of construction supplies were delivered to Tsipasi today, and we expect to break ground on The Move Project academy this week!
We couldn't be more thrilled with this project and what it will mean to the village of Tsipasi. More importantly, we'll be serving the children of the area with a high-quality education that would be otherwise unattainable.
We will be serving over 160 children and we fully anticipate that number swelling once we have the school operational and other nearby villages hear of the opportunity to receive a high-quality education. To that end, we've made some changes to the building design for a fully enclosed structure, and to accommodate more children by adding more classrooms.
We are taking this project on in 3 phases with a completion goal of September 1st.
The updated line-item budget by phase is as follows:
PHASE 1 - Construction Materials ($12,632.65)
PHASE 2 - Furniture/curriculum ($4,001)
PHASE 3 - Operational Expense & Salaries ($4,800)
Our goal is to have the school operational by September 1st, which is the start of the school year in Tsipasi. Would you consider pitching in with what you can to help us reach that goal? If so, please donate by clicking the donate button below.
The Move Project Academy is one of many very important steps to help break the cycle of poverty for our neighbors in Tsipasi. We invite you along this journey with us as we continue to put down our roots and stand with this village for the long haul. You can purchase one item from the line-item list, fund an entire phase, or give any amount. 100% of funds received will be allocated to the project and are tax deductible.
At the time I'm writing this, we are five days away from our second annual Indoor Water Ride at the Indianola YMCA. The event is Saturday, April 11th. Last year's event was a lot of fun and we had an incredible turn out. Because of these indoor rides, along with our Outdoor events, we've been able to install three wells in two villages. We ride bikes and a village gets clean water for a lifetime!
At this year's event we'll have pictures from our most recent trip on display. We will also have some interactive activities for all to participate in as well to allow you a better understanding of what life without clean water is really like. If you're not a member of the YMCA don't worry, this event is open to the public and everyone is welcome! Also, if you have small children you are able to use Child Watch while you ride for no charge.
We host these rides to raise funds but they also serve as an educational tool to discuss important issues that impact our world that we, as Americans, don't have to typically give much thought to. This is all done in an effort to educate, then provide a way in which you can participate. So, will you join us for $20 and 30 min. of your time to continue our clean water efforts in Ghana, Africa?
Register by clicking the button below and we'll see ya there. Let's Ride!
With our second annual Indoor Water Ride on Saturday, April 11th quickly approaching. And with our third annual Outdoor Water Ride coming into focus we thought we'd take a moment and let you know how this all came to be.
A post from Emily Boyd, co-founder of The Water Ride:
"In 2012 I journeyed across the country on a bicycle. During the ride, our group was raising money for clean water in Kenya. Every time I wanted to give up I kept pedaling because I knew that someone in Kenya was suffering way more than me and all I had to do was turn my legs round and round and round.
I came back from that trip completely & utterly changed. I was so empowered to continue serving our friends who don't get to go to school because they're fetching water, so I started a bike ride. It was one of those ... "it would be so cool if I could host a bike ride in Des Moines" ... and at a nonprofit fair at Simpson College, I connected with Sam and Nick from The Move Project. I mentioned my idea and we met to discuss. It was the perfect partnership as our passions and vision both lined up. We shared our story with Des Moines Water Works Park and they committed to financially supporting our ride, and have now been our Corporate sponsor for three years in a row! We pulled together a team of friends and committed do-gooders and made the ride a reality.
Since May 11, 2013, The Water Ride has hosted four different rides, raising over $19,000. Three wells have been installed in Ghana and now funds are being raised to build a school. We are hosting The Water Ride on May 16 (and our Indoor Water Ride on April 11!) and my hope is that this becomes bigger and better every year. Putting your ideas out into this world is a beautiful and dangerous thing."
As we've introduced the villages of Tsipasi and Gbanavey, we have also unveiled our approach to partnering with these communities over the long haul.
We had no desire to drop in a couple wells, pat ourselves on the back, and leave. Rather, we desire to develop long-term partnerships with these villages and break the cycle of poverty, one project at a time.
This looks different in each village, as each have their unique needs. (To learn more about each, visit the Tsipasi and Gbanavey community profiles)
Our current project is a school for Tsipasi. We'll be dedicating our time and all donations to this project until it's complete. We don't have an exact timeframe on this, but we anticipate completing the school this summer or fall (we need your help!).
Once the school is completed, the project plan is as follows:
We will also begin development of two projects in Korpehem
(Gbanavey is the central village in the network of villages):
As as can see, this is a lot of work that will need our attention in 2015 and for years to come.
In an effort to be effective, efficient, and proactive in our approach, we ask that you consider becoming a Move Project Advocate, donating $100/month. This will allow us to move more quickly when a project is identified to address an area of need, and will also allow us to be more focused on executing our projects instead of fundraising, planning, and executing projects at the same time.
Together, we can continue to create new realities for our neighbors in Ghana.
The next move is yours!
After the Tsipasi (pronounced Chi-pah-si) water project was well on its way, we found our second partner village to begin working with in the Greater Accra Region. The village of Gbanavey (pronounced Ban-uh-vay).
Back in September we introduced you to the village of Gbanavey. Then, in November Gbanavey appeared on a map! Because these villages are so small and remote, they aren't easily searchable on Google Maps or Google Earth.
In order to show you all where we're working, we had our on-site project directors log the coordinates of the projects so we could then identify on a map the exact locations.
Upon our arrival to Gbanavey in January, we met with the Chief and community leaders to discuss the two wells that were installed as well as the next steps of our partnership.
A water committee was formed within the village to oversee the operation and maintenance of the well to ensure that it properly sustains the village for years to come. We were honored to sit down and spend some time with Chief Teye Nabor Osabutey and the Water Committee.
The Move Project with the Chief and Water Committee
Visiting the well sites was incredible! The landscape of Gbanavey was similar to that of Tsipasi in that they are both fairly desolate and rural. This village, however, is much further along in the development stages than Tsipasi.
Well Site #1
In this community, access to water before the well was severely limited. In fact, the community told us that in the dry season, they had no access to water and had to spend their income reserves on purchasing water until the rainy season began again.
The reality before the installation of two wells for them was farming and selling their produce just so that they could purchase water to survive. That cycle had been present in their lives for as long as anyone could remember.
Think about that.
Through your donations and participation in our Water Rides, we made a move and did something about it.
We collectively said it was not acceptable that peoples' livelihood was being spent almost entirely on obtaining water to survive. Putting names to faces and distance villages only cemented the value of the work taking place in Ghana.
These people aren't just distance people of Africa, they are our neighbors, our brothers, our sisters.
While we were being introduced to the village of Gbanavey we learned that there were more villages than just one that were being served by the wells.
In fact, there are a total of four villages that now have access to clean water! The villages by name are Gbanavey, Balekope, Kaktisekope, Korpehem. They have joined together to form one larger group and together are known as Korpehem. As The Move Project continues to serve these communities we'll begin referring to them as Korpehem. We will call the village by its specific name for any project specific to just that one village.
As we witnessed first hand though, these four communities have formed a tight bond and look out for each other in all matters of life. Any project we proceed with in this area will be done in a manner in which all can benefit. There are some exiting next steps in Korpehem that we'll be announcing soon, so stay tuned!
We recently introduced our partnership with the village of Tsipasi. At the time of our introduction we were just beginning to cultivate what we hoped to be a lasting partnership with the community. Since then we have created a strong bond which has allowed us to come alongside the people of Tsipasi and link arms in the work to eliminate poverty, one project at a time.
Tsipasi is primarily a farming community with a population of about 2,915. The community relies on crops of okra, peppers, tomatoes, maize, and cassava for their sustenance and economic well being. They also raise livestock such as cattle, turkey, goat, guinea fowl, and sheep, also on a small scale.
Water in the Ewe language (one of the original languages spoken in the area) is “Tsi’ - Tsipasi means an area where water is in abundance.
It is ironically tragic that the name of the village means an area where water is in abundance, yet prior to the well being installed they did not have access to clean water.
We changed that!
They USED TO draw their water from a "nearby" stream, which did not provide safe drinking water. The stream is about 500 meters, or one third of a mile from the village.
Prior to the installation of the well, the local children had to travel for water in the mornings before school. Because the community is a farming village, their dwellings are very scattered. Many children have had inconsistent access to education due to the distance some of these children lived from both the school and well.
There are also neighboring villages that now have access to clean water thanks to the newly installed well.
The impact of just one well has been tremendous!
In January we made our first trip to Tsipasi to see the completed well and meet the villagers and community leaders, continuing to form lasting relationships. Our vision is to establish deep roots in the communities we serve, standing with them for as long as it takes. We are about empowerment through partnerships, not dropping in, patting ourselves on the back, and leaving.
We have two next steps which we consider to be immediate needs.
First, we need to continue with our purification work to remove salt from the well water. Tsipasi sits relatively close to the ocean and because of this there are traces of salt in the ground water. We have already begun the work necessary to remove the salt and provide the community and its neighbors fresh and good tasting drinking water. If you'd like to partner with us in our on going water projects, you can do so by signing up for either our Indoor Water Ride at the Indianola YMCA on April 11th, or our signature Outdoor Water Ride which will be held on Saturday, May 16th.
As with all our Water Rides, 100% of the proceeds will go directly to funding our ongoing water projects.
Secondly, Tsipasi has a desperate educational need. Currently, the community has roughly 167 school aged children in need of a formal education. We believe that education is a vital path to combating poverty and providing a way to improve the future. To that end, The Move Project is pleased to announce the founding of The Move Project Academy!
Our Academy will serve the children of Tsipasi and surrounding communities by providing them quality education that will enable them for future success. As you can imagine, this is a tremendous undertaking and we're asking for you to partner with us through this endeavor.
In our last blog post, we introduced our new campaign which we've called The Move Advocates. The commitment of becoming a Move Advocate is to donate $100 per month. This contribution will be used to ensure sustainability and success of this and other projects, and will allow The Move Project to increase the scope of our poverty eliminating work.
Click HERE to become and Advocate today. It's as easy as setting up a recurring donation.
In the coming weeks, we will begin to outline the costs we anticipate to begin building The Move Project Academy as well as the costs associated with the daily operations. Our initial plan is to staff the Academy with five teachers which will provide one teacher per classroom plus a Head Master to oversee the daily operations.
We can't do it alone, but we can do it together. Partner with is to revolutionize the future of our friends and neighbors in Tsipasi.
The next move is yours!
Last year we spent all of our time and engery focused on clean water. We did this because we believe access to clean water is not just a good idea, but is vital to the health and well being of every individual and community.
This past year we identified communities that lacked access to clean water. Along the way we invited people to join us in taking action, and supporters of The Move Project responded in an incredible way!
Throughout 2014, we hosted three Water Rides with 100% of funds from each ride going directly to clean water wells.
Together, we changed the reality of our neighbors in Ghana, Africa.
The participation in each event was tremendous and every nearly $20,000 was raised from the rides alone!
As most of you know, that resulted in three borehole wells being drilled in two communities, giving them access to clean water for the FIRST TIME EVER!
As exciting as that report is, we didn't stop there. Just this past January, one of our co-founders and his wife, Nick and Typhanie Mahlstadt, took a trip to Ghana to visit these two communities. They returned to the U.S. with next steps outlined for each village and we're excited to share those with you soon.
The first step was to continue the purfication of the water from each well. The water is clean, but we're taking steps to purify the water and remove the saltiness which is a result being close to the ocean.
In the village of Tsipasi there is a pressing need for education now that water is there to stay. In the coming weeks we'll begin to outline the specifics of this project, but we've already begun the steps to building and staffing a school, The Move Project Academy.
In 2015 we have our sights set on some huge things and we can't do it alone.
This is where you come in. To get projects completed, we've historically fundraised event by event. This year, we're changing that to get The Move Project to the next level. We want to have greater impact than ever before.
We are thrilled to introduce The Move Advocates. The idea is to get a group of partners to stand with The Move Project on a monthly basis which will allow us to continue to break the cycle of poverty at a much greater level.
The commitment of becoming a Move Advocate is to donate $100 per month. This contribution will be used to ensure sustainability and success of our current project, and will allow The Move Project to increase the scope of our proverty eliminating work.
We believe everyone matters, and that we exist as an organization to stand next to those that are in need. Will you join us and become a Move Advocate?
Click HERE to sign up. It's as easy as setting up a recurring donation.
Looking forward to a groundbreaking 2015!
From our fundraising page:
The community of Tsipasi does not have a formal education system of any kind. This is impacting all children in the village as they are not within walking distance to another school. To provide minimal education a local community member is hosting the children for very basic educational gatherings.
This project will establish a permanent school building and grounds, construct and improve surrounding facilities to be used for the school and provide training and staffing of teachers. We will also work to appoint a formal Head Master (Principal) who will be responsible for implementing the curriculum, overseeing the standardization of the educational structure and developing student learning and growth. When fully mature, this project will also serve the local school children one meal per day
This project will have dramatic long term effects for not only this community, but also surrounding communities that do not have access to education. This is a very important endeavor as we seek to implement an educational system for these communities and increase the level of education both in the short and long term. By providing education these children will be able to continue on to secondary education and enter the workforce to provide a sustainable living for their future families.
