Welcome to the Yonso Project
Please contact us with any comments or questions.
We are a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization devoted to increasing educational and economic achievement in the developing world. Our programs operate in partnership with rural communities in the West African nation of Ghana.
The Yonso Project is the combined effort of a local Ghanaian staff and an all-volunteer fundraising team in the US who work together to sponsor student scholarships, administer microloans, improve local schools, and pursue other innovative projects to provide opportunity to families and individuals in rural Ghana.
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Yonso Project News:
November 3, 2009
In Memory of Florence Billingsley Ricks
The Yonso Project has just received a donation in the amount of $2,000 in memory of Florence Billingsley Ricks. This generous gift was made by Dottye Ricks to honor her grandmother. Dottye is a long-time supporter of the Yonso Project, and we are all extremely grateful for her wonderful generosity -- as are the families in Ghana who will benefit from her donation!
About half of the donation ($1,100) will be used to support a promising entrepreneurial venture in our communities. Last month, a group of workers from our communities attended an intensive training session near Yonso where they received instruction about bicycle building. The workshop was sponsored by American entrepreneur Craig Calfee, who hopes to employ residents of Yonso and our other communities to build bikes out of bamboo. Expect more news about this project in the near future.
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October 23, 2009
Thank You Letters from Scholars
The YP's scholarship program has touched the lives of hundreds of young students. The scholarships that we award to needy children in Ghana are small by US standards (from $100 to $300 per year), yet they open the door to education for the students who receive them. The program is made possible by the generosity of donors in the US, especially those who sponsor an individual Ghanaian student's education.
Scholarship and Public Relations Director Sonja Good Stefani has compiled a sampling of "thank you" letters written by some of our scholars to their sponsors. These remarkable letters reveal the gratitude of the students receiving scholarships and the urgency of their desire to to go to school. Please take a look.
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October 23, 2009
YP Annual Meeting
On October 2nd, the Yonso Project held its 2009 Annual Meeting in Rutland, Vermont. As with all operations of the YP in the United States, 100% of the cost of the meeting was paid out of pocket by those of us in attendence, including travel expenses. Every dime the YP receives in donations is used to fund programs in Ghana rather than for organizational overhead.
The Annual Meeting marks the beginning of a new fiscal year for the Yonso Project. The YP Board reviewed fundraising, expenditures, and program operations for the past year. The Board also revised and approved a budget for the coming fiscal year that was submitted by YP staff in Ghana. Decisions made at the meeting include the following
November 3, 2009
In Memory of Florence Billingsley Ricks
The Yonso Project has just received a donation in the amount of $2,000 in memory of Florence Billingsley Ricks. This generous gift was made by Dottye Ricks to honor her grandmother. Dottye is a long-time supporter of the Yonso Project, and we are all extremely grateful for her wonderful generosity -- as are the families in Ghana who will benefit from her donation!
About half of the donation ($1,100) will be used to support a promising entrepreneurial venture in our communities. Last month, a group of workers from our communities attended an intensive training session near Yonso where they received instruction about bicycle building. The workshop was sponsored by American entrepreneur Craig Calfee, who hopes to employ residents of Yonso and our other communities to build bikes out of bamboo. Expect more news about this project in the near future.
October 23, 2009
Thank You Letters from Scholars
The YP's scholarship program has touched the lives of hundreds of young students. The scholarships that we award to needy children in Ghana are small by US standards (from $100 to $300 per year), yet they open the door to education for the students who receive them. The program is made possible by the generosity of donors in the US, especially those who sponsor an individual Ghanaian student's education.
Scholarship and Public Relations Director Sonja Good Stefani has compiled a sampling of "thank you" letters written by some of our scholars to their sponsors. These remarkable letters reveal the gratitude of the students receiving scholarships and the urgency of their desire to to go to school. Please take a look.
October 23, 2009
YP Annual Meeting
On October 2nd, the Yonso Project held its 2009 Annual Meeting in Rutland, Vermont. As with all operations of the YP in the United States, 100% of the cost of the meeting was paid out of pocket by those of us in attendence, including travel expenses. Every dime the YP receives in donations is used to fund programs in Ghana rather than for organizational overhead.
The Annual Meeting marks the beginning of a new fiscal year for the Yonso Project. The YP Board reviewed fundraising, expenditures, and program operations for the past year. The Board also revised and approved a budget for the coming fiscal year that was submitted by YP staff in Ghana. Decisions made at the meeting include the following
- the Yonso Project is no longer affiliated with YOSU, the Yonso Students' Union
- the YP will begin issuing larger microloans to groups of first-time borrowers and will attempt to offer health insurance to our most senior borrower groups
- members of the YP Board will be required to raise a larger amount of money per individual
Please contact us with any comments or questions.
