GWF Partners are more than volunteers. They are institutions and individuals who have shown a sincere interest in our mission and have helped us achieve that mission through collaborative projects, annual scholarships, and continuous funding. Partnerships are informal (unless agreed otherwise), and partners simply agree to help whenever they can. All GWF Partners remain updated and informed about the organization throughout their entire partnership and after.

Below is a list of our current partners. Click on the names to learn more about them and how they are helping GWF achieve our mission...

GWF Artist, Joseph Njie, poses outside of his shop in Aburi. Joseph, who specializes in wax painting, is one of a handful of artist helping GWF's School Store.

Amara Salia (???????), number 7, and friend pose with GWF Director, Erin Okun, and high school student, Max Gulian during a trip to Larabanga.

GWF Artisans

To help make our School Store more successful, GWF decided to create a network of artists from which we purchase the majority of our goods from. On top of the continuous financial support that these artists will receive from GWF purchases, volunteers and visitors are encouraged to visit these artists for lessons, barter and trade, and make purchases. We also help facilitate art lessons for our partner schools taught by these artisans. These lessons provide extra income for the artists and most importantly, provide the young students with some valuable insight into important trades for the future. The GWF School Store's profits go toward both helping our partner schools improve their education and supporting our partner artists. Today, GWF purchases from the majority of our crafts from a small handful of artists in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Their specialties range from bead-making, wax painting, and wood carving. Visit the GWF School Store to learn more about our artists and to browse their work.

Center for Youth Empowerment

The Center For Youth Empowerment, formally called the Liberian Refugee Youths For Sustainable Development, was organized by war-strickened Liberian youths who fled their country during the height of the Liberian Civil War fearing persecutions and inhumane treatment. The group currently resides in Ghana at the Buduburam Refugee Camp. The civil upheaval destroyed many lives and created growing hatred among Liberians. In response, the youths organized themselves under the umbrella of the Center For Youth Empowerment (CYE) to work together in pursuit of peace, development, education, good health and sanitation.

In October of 2006, CYE took over the Christ Church School, a school that was failing to cover basic school costs and its education was lacking. In less than a year, with the guidance of CYE, the school placed first in the standardized testing done throughout the schools in the refugee camp. In August 2007, GWF and CYE joined forces to further improve the school with plans to not only make it the best in the camp, but comparable to the best schools in all of Ghana. The CYE Elementary and Junior High School is currently in the application process to become a GWF Partner School.

Children of the Light

A Christian based organization located in Kitase, Ghana, also home to GWF Partner School, Wisdom Academy. Established in August, 2005, Children of the Light began as a children's ministry focusing on helping young students of Kitase with vital reading and writing skills as well as training them to acquire those and other skills that will improve their lives now and in the future. Other aims of the foundation include enhancing social empowerment and environmental awareness, promoting balanced, healthy and appropriate lifestyle choices, and teaching cultural performances to display to the public. Children of the Light is run by an Australian and local Ghanaian teacher among other volunteers and holds tri-weekly meetings with its students as well as various projects and performances throughout the year. Besides sharing some common goals and values with GWF, Children of the Light was helpful in allowing GWF to incorporate phonics into the curriculum at Wisdom Academy. The organization has shown interest in getting involved with GWF's Project Wisdom and is open to GWF volunteers who would like to come by in their free time and lend a hand.

Bambeninye Development Service

Most of the development projects of northern Ghana's Larabanga are coordinated by the Bambeninye Development Service which was started by a set of twin brothers known as the Salia Brothers. Together with the help of family and locals, the Salia brothers decided to take it upon themselves to improve the developmental challenges of their village. The development projects started in 1992 when they set out to eradicate the Guinea Worm problem of the village by installing Larabanga's first water well. Today, more than a decade later, the Bambeninye Development Service and the Salia brothers continue to do amazing work in Larabanga and the surrounding villages.

The Salia Brothers and their partners and volunteers work hard to increase the standard of living in Larabanga and nearby communities by building schools, establishing tourism projects to bring income into the community, improving health and sanitation for the area and much more. Because of the common goals and shared values of both organizations, both the Salia Brothers and GWF have shown interest in creating a reciprocal relationship with each other. GWF encourages all of our volunteers to visit the Salia Brothers during their stay in Ghana.

Global Xperience

Global Xperience is the UK's leading provider of Gap and Career breaks with over 250 programs spanning 6 continents and 21 countries! If you are thinking about making a lasting and positive impact on our planet then Global Xperience are the right people to talk to, whether it be working with Children in Africa to teaching English in China, Global Xperience and its on the ground partners have the ability to give you a safe and truly rewarding Xperience. GWF is currently working to become one of the many ground partners that aims to bring memorable volunteer opportunities to the people of UK.

Cape Cod, MA

In February of 2007, the Cape Cod-Kitase Education Project (CCKEP) was launched with the aim of raising money and resources within the Cape Cod community for the improvement and sustainability of Wisdom Academy, GWF's first partner school, located in Kitase, Ghana. Since its inception, the people of Cape Cod have donated thousands of dollars, boxes upon boxes of books and other learning resources and their time to help not only one deserving school, but an entire community grow and reach its full potential in education. Thank you Cape Cod! To learn more about this project, what Cape Cod has done to help,or what you can do to help, visit GWF's Cape Cod-Kitase Education Project pages.