What do members do in Ghana?

We do a lot of this:

(Nick, Danso and Sam making plans and filling out paperwork)

And some of this:

(Nick and Danso giving a microlending presentation in Kyekywere)

And even a little of this:

(Sonja weaving her way through an excited crowd of penpals)

This year, four Yonso Project members from the U.S. traveled to Ghana for 40 days to set up and plan several new programs. They spent some time traveling and getting adjusted to Ghanaian life, then began digging into paperwork. After registering the Yonso Project in Accra and meeting up with their Ghanaian counterparts, they began meeting with YP affiliates and getting up to speed on all the latest local developments.

Once they were aware of where things stood, they team got down to business and started solving problems and pushing forward with new plans, programs and research. Each member took charge of a different project and spent the remainder of their trip engaging in a multitude of different types of work, including: conducting ecological field research, lobbying government ministries, developing business plans, other forms and financial estimates, making presentations to local communities, interviewing potential scholars and employees, acquiring equipment, managing logistics, and generally taking the lead and getting things done.

This years trip achieved the following:

• Opened a new Yonso Project office and bank account
  
• Hired and trained 2 full-time staff members
  
• Initiated the new Yonso Project Microlending Program
• Completed a detailed ecological survey of the area surrounding Yonso
  
• Acquired a waiver for over $5,000 in port fees which secured the release of an entire library full of reading material from Tema Port
• Issued the first 11 need-based scholarships to students in the towns of Yonso, Aapah and Kyekywere
• Established good relationships with officials in the Ghanaian government, media and with other non-profits