About Us:

The Yonso Project differs from most other nonprofits and non- governmental organizations working in Africa in several important ways:

First, we are a grassroots, volunteer-ran organization. The Yonso Project grew out of a meeting of two groups of American and Ghanaian college students at the University of Ghana in 2005. The Yonso Project today is adminstered by some of those former students who continue to sacrifice their time without pay. (To read the full story of our organization's history, click here.)

Second, we are truly a partnership effort. Our work is to assist developing communities on their own terms, not to impose our terms upon them. The fact that our operations are focused on a single group of small towns in rural Ghana allows us to stay in constant contact with the community and attuned to its needs. All of our program operations are managed by our Country Director, Kwabena Danso, who grew up in the town of Yonso and is one of the Yonso Project's founders.

Third, the Yonso Project is built out of individuals. Our organization is made of a handful of extremely dedicated people in the United States and Ghana working together to create profound change on a human scale. In place of an administrative bureaucracy, the Yonso Project is ran by volunteer members who divide fundraising and administrative functions among one another; each member is also encouraged to pursue his or her own vision and innovate new projects. Our paid Ghanaian staff is drawn from dedicated community members who are likewise individually passionate about tackling the educational and economic challenges facing their country and who bring their own innovative ideas to the table. To meet the individuals behind the Yonso Project in both the US and Ghana, click here and here.

The idea behind the Yonso Project is simple -- that real, valuable improvements to communities can be achieved by just a few dedicated people working across continents and cultures to address people's needs. To learn more about what exactly we are achieving, please visit the "Our Work" page.