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2020 Holiday Party!

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2020 Holiday Party!

As we bring the year to a close at TMP Academy we had to end with a party! On the last day before Holiday break we brought everyone together to celebrate our progress so far, the Holiday season, and all the hard work by our students and staff. It goes without saying but 2020 was an incredibly difficult year yet our team in Tsipasi gave it all they had.

We are thankful for the support of the families in Tsipasi and for all the effort they put in to fostering education even when our doors had to be closed due to COVID-19. The parents of Tsipasi and staff at TMP Academy worked hand-in-hand to create a learning environment where the students could continue their education in a safe and healthy way. Since opening our doors in 2018 all involved in this endeavor have worked diligently to prioritize education so that the children could grow and thrive, even when faced with monstrous hurdles, the entire community came together and because of that, the students continued along their education path and furthered their development.

So, to all the families in Tsipasi who created a way forward - to all the donors who provided the funding and support - we say THANK YOU.

Above are some pictures from our Holiday party, we hope you enjoy scrolling through them.

Happy Holidays!

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TMP Academy - Toilet & Washroom

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TMP Academy - Toilet & Washroom

While The Move Project Academy has been officially certified with the Ghana Education Service (GES), it was done so with the understanding that TMP Academy would build a new toilet and washroom facility as our top priority to meet GES standards.

There is a toilet facility currently onsite but it is very old, dilapidated, and unsanitary.

This project will include demolishing the old toilet facility and building a new one in its place which will include:

  • 1 toilet room for female students

  • 1 toilet room for male students

  • 1 toilet room for staff

  • 1 washroom

We take very seriously both the GES standards and the health of our students and faculty. In order to comply with the standards and provide a clean and healthy facility for our students and staff, this the top priority for TMP and will be funded as soon as the $1,800 cost is raised.

Whether you are a recurring partner to TMP or not, we’d appreciate your support in getting this critical project funded!

You can give easily and securely here.

P.S. There is no need to allocate your gift, as this is our #1 priority in our current projects.

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Richmond

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Richmond

From the beginning our vision was to stand alongside those in Tsipasi in whatever form that would end up taking. Over the past couple of years we've launched a few projects such as digging clean water wells, education for both children and adults in Tsipasi, and job skill training. All of the projects implemented come from a priority list directly from the community that is based on what they feel they want and need to be successful and flourish. We are fully committed to the wellbeing of those in Tsipasi. The Move Project's work is guided by this vision and informs all we do there.

With this vision, our next step was to launch The Move Project Academy to provide quality education for the children in Tsipasi. The academy has been open for eight months now and with every passing month the children continue to make wonderful progress in their learning journey. One of the ways we've been able to make such great progress is by hiring a wonderful and committed staff. One staff member, Angelina, came to us from the capital city of Accra with her son, Richmond, to help launch the academy. Currently, The Move Project Academy offers Creche (pre-school) through Class 1 (1st Grade) due to the lack of prior education in the community. Richmond should be in Class 4 currently and because of this, TMP is supporting Richmond's education at Hampstead Academy which is in the next closest village to Tsipasi. You see, our desire is to support every child that is part of the academy through the entirety of their education journey and if they need something we aren't currently able to provide, we'll find the place where they can continue to flourish and support them there. As we continue to grow and offer more class options we'll be able to educate children who come to us with previous school opportunities like Richmond. But until that time comes, we won't withhold any opportunities merely because we don't provide it directly.

When you support The Move Project, you're not only supporting our immediate work in Tsipasi but you're supporting those that are working diligently each and every day on behalf of The Move Project in Tsipasi. Angelina and Richmond are a great example of this. Angelina is working every day to bring a quality education to the children in her classroom at TMP Academy and in turn we're meeting her families need to continue her son's education so he can continue to advance in his journey. 

If you would like to join us and support a seat at a desk, please sign up HERE. It's quick and easy!

We are currently in need of 78 more monthly sponsors which will cover the complete operating expenses of TMP Academy. $30/month covers everything! From daily lunch, teacher salaries, textbooks, uniforms, and more.

 

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Ghana Trip with Drake Univ.

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Ghana Trip with Drake Univ.

TMP was honored to host Drake University students on their J-Term this past week. We explored education at TMP Academy and discussed what the future holds for Tsipasi which is centered around educational opportunities for children and adults. The group also participated in a job skill training course which will be used to launch a micro-finance opportunity for the adults in the community. With the extra sets of hands, the new kitchen structure received a new paint job and is now ready to have the food and supplies moved in! That was just day one and we traveled to two other communities through the week to provide a full cultural immersive experience. The team was able to get a great view into daily Ghanaian life in various settings throughout the trip.

We love sharing what we're doing up close an personal with people and we're constantly amazed at the discussion, insight, and ideas that come out of trips like this. Our eyes are opened and understanding broadened when we choose to experience people in lands and cultures not our own. 

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TMP Academy Update: Phase 1 Complete!

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TMP Academy Update: Phase 1 Complete!

We have structured The Move Project Academy project into three phases. The first phase is construction of the school building, the second phase is the furnish the school, purchase curriculum and uniforms, and the third phase is to hire the teachers and have their salary funded for at least one year in advance. 

We are so thrilled to announce that Phase 1 of TMP Academy has been completed! The money has been sent and the construction crew is putting on the finishing touches. The school will be painted within the next two weeks and we look forward to sharing more pictures with you soon, including the completed building!


Following the installation of a water well to provide the community with access to clean water, education was noted as the next most urgent need. After meeting with the community leaders, we began planning a strategy around education, raising funds, and working with the community leaders in Tsipasi to begin planning what will now be The Move Project Academy. The construction phase has taken a while, but we know with the energy and effort put into the foundation of the school, quality education will be a lasting reality for the children of Tsipasi.

As we neared the completion of the construction phase, we set out to hire a Headmaster who will oversee the teachers and staff at the Academy. As we announced HERE , we found Jerron who will serve as TMP Academy's first ever Headmaster.

Phase 2 will consist of furnishing the school with desks and chairs, purchasing uniforms for the children, and buying the syllabus and curriculum to be used in each class. The total cost of this phase will be $7,376.50 and is broken down here:

  • Furniture (Desks/Chairs, Cupboards):$3,996
  • Curriculum, Syllabus and Textbooks (students & teachers): $2,226
  • Uniforms (120): $1,080
  • Instructor Materials (7): $74.50

You can see the complete line-item budget of TMP Academy here, and also help purchase supplies off of the supply needs list here

If you've contributed financially, we thank you for partnering with us and the community of Tsipasi as we look to bring quality education through the Academy. 

Would you take one more step and share this message with your friends and family? It takes a village! 

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Summer Trips to Ghana

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Summer Trips to Ghana

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?

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Water Ride Event Re-Cap

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Water Ride Event Re-Cap

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!

 

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TMP Academy Construction Update

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TMP Academy Construction Update

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. 

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2015 Project Plan

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: 

  • Build latrines at the school  
  • Install a tap for the school to access water without having to go to the well
  • Plant a garden at the school
  • Begin a meal program for the school, usinging fresh produce from the school's garden in the program

We will also begin development of two projects in Korpehem

(Gbanavey is the central village in the network of villages):

  • Transportation to allow the farmers the opportunity to take their produce to market
  • A co-op, networking the villages of Kopehem 

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! 

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Gbanavey Community Profile

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Gbanavey Community Profile

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

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

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!

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Tsipasi Community Profile

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Tsipasi Community Profile

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! 

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2014 Was Full of Water

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2014 Was Full of Water

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! 

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Tsipasi School Details

From our fundraising page:

What is the issue, problem, or challenge?

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.

How will this project solve this problem?

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

Potential Long Term Impact

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.

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A School for Tsipasi (Yes that's right, a SCHOOL!)

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A School for Tsipasi (Yes that's right, a SCHOOL!)

The Move Project was started to break the cycle of poverty in unique and custom ways. That's because the contributing factors to each community's level of poverty are unique to that community. 

However, we also know all factors boil down to basic human needs: access to clean water and food, shelter, and freedom. That's why we've structured the organization to focus on those three areas of need.

We've known all along that as we establish partnerships, initiate projects, and provide assistance to communities in need, we'd need to adapt to the comminity's most pressing needs.  

That's why we operate one project at a time. It allows us to be focused, adapt quickly, and build on our efforts to maximize our impact.  

We want to be excellent stewards of your generous contributions.  

All that to say... 

Tsiapsi received clean water earlier this year and now we're ready to take the next step with their community. 

After speaking with their village chief and elders and our in-country contacts, one of which is a headmaster at a private school, we are ready to launch our next project.  

We are building a school in Tsipasi! 

We'll lay out the details, answer questions, and share more about our long term strategy in the region this week, but for now, we invite you to join us in our initial fundraising to change the course of history in Ghana, one child at a time! 

You can give, as always, by scrolling down and clicking the donate button, but you can also give exclusively to this project (and learn a bit more about it) by going HERE and selecting 'The Move Project Academy' at checkout.

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Tsipasi and Gbanabey, on a map!

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Tsipasi and Gbanabey, on a map!

We are excited to announce the wells for Gbanabey (two of them!) are now under construction. Today the sites of the wells was determined and we expect drilling to begin Monday. 

You may be wondering what we initially wondered when we were told about each village...where in the world is that?! 

When we were initially told about Tsipasi, we had to have our in-country contact send us a map with a circle around the area, since the village is remote enough to not show up on maps. Well...we're happy to show you exactly where the wells are, using GPS coordinates and images on Google maps.

Here you are: 

 

image.jpg
image.jpg

If you'd like to contribute to our work in Ghana, scroll down and click the donate button.

Every dollar counts! 

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Water Ride at Cycle Down Dawg

On Saturday the 18th, we had our second indoor Water Ride, and our first hosted by cycling and yoga shop Cycle Down Dawg. 

We had 43 people participate and raised $2,808.91. That's enough money for just over a half of a clean water borehole well like we installed in Tsipasi, and we're installing in Gbanabey.  

If you'd like to help push us to our goal of $5,000 for one well, scroll to the bottom of this page and click the Donate button.

Many thanks to those who rode, to our hosts Cycle Down Dawg, and these sponsors: 

Ashworth Vision Clinic

SuperCuts

Ponderosa Valley Wellness

Kris' Hot Yoga 

ABC Sign and Display

Partners in Hair 

Blue Frog Marketing

Stadia Sports Medicine

Meydan Farms

Kevin and Charity Moreland and Family

Let's show them love and support their businesses!  

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Big News!

Big News

We've funded a second well!

With the support of dozens of people in both our indoor ride this spring and our second annual outdoor ride in May, we have successfully funded our second well! Thank you first and foremost to all who contributed to those efforts! Your generosity toward our clean water projects is inspiring. 


The well we installed in Tsipasi following the indoor ride is operational, and the village now has clean water for the first time in history.

We created a new reality for that community, and we're thrilled to see what's next. 

We are working with our in-country contacts to determine the location of the second well, but we do know it will be in the Greater Accra region, the same region as Tsipasi (we'll be doing some posts about Tsipasi, the Greater Accra region, and other facts on the demographic of Ghana throughout the summer - stay tuned).  

But wait...there's more!
 

Really Big News

A documentary

We just launched a fundraising campaign through Kickstarter to fund the production of a documentary. The film will focus on the joy and freedom that comes along with clean water. It will feature the work our work underway in Tsipasi and the Greater Accra region, and also help us tell the story of just how much clean water means in breaking the cycle of poverty. We've said it before but it is worth repeating, clean water is the first step in holistic, sustainable, poverty alleviation

We need your help! In fact, this is an all-hands-on-deck kind of deal. We need to raise $50,000 in the next 30 days for the film to be a reality. The money will be used to send a team to Ghana, purchase a few pieces of equipment, and produce the film. We are partnering with our friends at One:One Creatives to film and produce the documentary. You can learn more about the kickstarter campaign HERE

The reason we're doing the Kickstarter fundraiser to fund the film is to ensure 100% of funds received toward clean water projects continue to go directly to the project. This model has allowed us to fund two wells with virtually no overhead cost (major thanks to our signature sponsor, Des Moines Water Works, for helping us cover all costs associated with the rides and events).  

We also believe we'll be able to leverage the film to raise larger sums of funds for clean water, and our investment into the film will mean more villages (and regions!) get access to clean water and sanitation education. 

We'd appreciate your support in this! We have until July 22nd to raise the entire $50,000 or we don't get a penny. It's all or nothing, and we're all in.
Also, if you pledge today, you don't get charged until July 22nd, and that's only if we're fully funded. You can also change your pledge at any point during the campaign. 

Join us here

Thank you!

The Move Project team

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WATER!

Tsipasi saw clean water today! 

This video is from the site where we are installing our well in Tsipasi, and shows the incredible moment (at the :50 mark) where they struck water. 

We are so grateful to witness this moment from across the globe, and know this is just the first, albeit significant, step in holistic and sustainable poverty alleviation in the area. 

Thank you to all those who have volunteered at events, donated to our work, and registered to ride in The Water Ride! You've made this possible.

Together we're making a move, and creating new realities for our neighbors in rural Ghana.

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Ride a bike. Save a life.

On March 8, 2014 The Move Project, in connection with the Indianola YMCA, is hosting our first annual Indoor Water Ride. This event is part of our annual signature event, The Water Ride. Ride for a cause, and help raise the funds needed to install a clean water well in Ghana, West Africa.

100% of the proceeds will be allocated to water projects in Ghana.

Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. in the lobby of the Indianola YMCA, located at 306 East Scenic Valley Ave., Indianola IA 50125. The ride will begin at 10:00 a.m. in the YMCA's cycling studio.

You do NOT have to be a current YMCA member to participate in this event - everyone is welcome! Riders will register for one-hour increments and the event will run for six hours in total. All riders are welcome to sign up for more than one time slot.

For more information, and to register, visit themoveproject.org/water

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