Bringing hope and love to vulnerable children and their families living in extreme poverty in northern Ghana.
Northern Ghana has rampant poverty due to agriculture that’s susceptible to drought and flood. Tamale is the capitol of the northern region. The region’s population is 70% Muslim while the other 30% are Christians or idol worshippers; in the villages, the percentage of Christians is higher, but idol worship is still present.
This region faces lower school enrollment, higher illiteracy, less economic infrastructure, and fewer opportunities for women than the rest of the country. Many women in the area are widows. Most of the time when the husband dies, his family takes everything including the home, the property and, worst of all, the children. Education for the girls isn’t a cultural belief, leaving them especially vulnerable.
Create Hope Ghana began when Johnathan Haruna and Rhoda Wumbei (now our Ghana Field Directors) met a girl who couldn’t attend school due to struggling family finances and a lack of cultural priority – ‘girls don’t need education’ was a common belief. The family needed just $1 to send her to school. Johnathan and Rhoda immediately helped and began sharing with this family and others the importance of education for girls.
Today, Create Hope Ghana is assisting 73 families and 75 children with nutritious meals, quality education, mentoring, and a supportive community. Johnathan and Rhoda are helping widows and their children get reestablished in secure locations. All their service flows from a love for Christ, motivating them to share the gospel with those they serve, and help them discover and pursue their God-given potential.
Declaring and demonstrating the Good News of Jesus Christ has always been – and will always be – at the heart of everything we do. Our program leaders are closely connected to the local church, and integrate discipleship into their feeding program.
Children are the seeds of the future. When we invest in them, they have the capacity to be agents of change in their communities for generations to come. Our program focuses on the individual needs of each child and reaches out from there to their families and communities.
Our program is holistic, caring for the whole child – their mind, body and spirit. We provide regular meals to children, food baskets for families, school tuition and supplies, safe drinking water, discipleship, and a caring community.
Johnathan and Rhoda, natives to Ghana, are local Christian leaders with a heart for the next generation. We work closely with them to ensure high levels of trust and stewardship in the program.
Bonny was born and raised in Kampala. He graduated from Makerere University with a bachelor's degree in International Business. His wife Julian is a statistician who resigned from her government job and dedicated her life to supporting and nurturing vulnerable children.
Bonny’s passion in life is to ensure that every child is given the right to be a child; as a result, he has been key in advocating for children's rights in Uganda and has been educating parents and communities about the need of keeping children in school.
Through Light A Candle Uganda, Bonny has establishing a strong team that is creating a better world for young boys and girls of the Kampala community. He believes that everyone has a role to play and if we all played our parts then the world would be a better place.
What drew you to the mission of Forward Edge? I came to know about Forward Edge through my great friend Gabe Winslow with whom we have for long shared about having a world where both the poor and rich live in harmony. Forward Edge gives me the opportunity to be a part of God’s story and to have a deeper understanding of my purpose in life which is to put smiles on the faces of vulnerable children.
If you could have dinner with any person in history (excluding Jesus) who would it be and why? Ray Barnett: Founder and CEO of the African Childrens Choir. Barnett left his comfortable home and came down to Uganda during the times of war. He worked hard to protect and bring hope to the marginalized. Today the African Childrens Choir has changed many lives through spreading the Gospel in music and dance and continues to bless and nurture leaders. It is because of Ray’s servanthood spirit that I would love to dine with him.
What is something about you others are often surprised to learn? I train and conduct children’s choirs.
Monthly giving enables our program to have sustained impact in the lives of children and communities, but every gift of generosity makes a difference. Eighty-five cents of every $1 goes directly to the program.
14 years old (02-02-2009)
Female
Ghana
4 years old (10-31-2018)
Female
Ghana
18 years old (08-10-2004)
Female
Ghana
As a child sponsor, you’re providing things like nutritious meals, safe drinking water, education, health care, and spiritual instruction. Beyond meeting their critical needs, you’re also building a priceless personal relationship with your child, helping them discover their true worth and God-given potential.
9 years old (12-25-2013)
Male
Ghana
As a child sponsor, you’re providing things like nutritious meals, safe drinking water, education, health care, and spiritual instruction. Beyond meeting their critical needs, you’re also building a priceless personal relationship with your child, helping them discover their true worth and God-given potential.
Any team of 10 or more is invited to go on a 10-14 day mission trip to our program in Tamale, Ghana. Be the hands and feet of Jesus as you serve children and their families, build relationships, and grow in faith.
Partnering your church or school with Create Hope Ghana accomplishes the greatest long-term, holistic impact for all involved. Grow in relationship with the global church by partnering to demonstrate the love of Jesus to vulnerable children and their families. Help them to learn their God-given worth and purpose, and find your own personal discipleship under Christ accelerated along the way.
