Growing up in a small village called Kissehman—now an overcrowded slum in Ghana—Christmas was the one day I could count on a rare treat: a full bottle of Pepsi or Coke. My sister and I would wear our best clothes and head to my uncle’s house, where his wife cooked a special feast. That was the day I’d savor a whole chicken wing or, if luck smiled upon me, a drumstick

But the chicken thigh? That was untouchable—strictly reserved for the head of the family, my uncle. Any other day, a single chicken wing would be divided among four of us. To top it off, I’d finally get to drink a full bottle of soda instead of sharing one with my siblings. The adults, of course, drank Malt or something alcoholic, leaving us kids to relish our rare sugary indulgence.

Honestly, if it were up to me, Christmas in Africa should be renamed “Protein Day” or “Soda Day”—a time when many children experience the unmatched joy of eating a full chicken wing or drumstick and, if they’re lucky, nibbling on some chicken intestines (a reward for helping catch and prepare the bird).

Mind you, these chickens were skinny. Sometimes, I’d look at them and wonder if dehydration was their real plight. While my old neighborhood has seen improvements, for many children across the motherland, Christmas remains their only chance to enjoy such luxuries

Santa Claus, Father Christmas, or… Satan Cross?

Now, let’s talk about the elusive Father Christmas—our version of Santa Claus. Originally an English figure, Father Christmas became synonymous with Santa in modern times. Since Ghana was colonized by the British, we adopted “Father Christmas” as the preferred name.

Fast forward to my migration to the USA, where I kept hearing people talk about “Santa Claus.” With my Ghanaian accent, I misheard it as “Satan Cross.” Naturally, I was wary of this “Satan Cross” character, and for years, I avoided asking anyone about it. (Google wasn’t a thing back then, and even if it was, I wasn’t tech-savvy enough to use it.)

Eventually, I learned that Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle, and Father Christmas were all the same jolly fellow. But while he was bringing gifts and joy to children in America, Australia and Europe, it struck me that he had never shown up for African kids.

Why Santa Never Comes to Africa

On a continent plagued by poverty, wars, and neglect, Santa—or Father Christmas—could have brought much-needed joy to children. But alas, he remains a no-show. If Santa were a woman, I’m convinced she’d be here out of compassion. Maybe we need a “Mother Christmas” or “Santa Chloe

In the meantime, here are the top reasons Santa skips Africa:

1. Santa is a Man
   Let’s face it—if Santa were a woman, African children would have gifts every year. Compassion isn’t Santa’s strong suit.
2. The Weather
   Santa thrives in the cold. Snow and frosty air keep his reindeer-powered sleigh running. Africa’s warm December weather? Not so much. The few African countries with winter-like climates in December happen to be predominantly Muslim. Let’s just say, Santa might not receive the warmest welcome there.
3. No Chimneys
   Santa relies on chimneys for stealthy entry. Most African homes don’t have them, making it logistically impossible for him to deliver gifts. Maybe Africa needs a chimney initiative before Santa considers us.
4. Lions and Other Predators
   Imagine Santa’s sleigh breaks down in the savannah, and while he’s fixing it, a lion shows up, eyeing his reindeer for dinner. Or maybe he lands in a village and can’t figure out how to enter a house. Santa wouldn’t risk becoming lion food just to make African children happy. Besides, his U.S. schedule is too important. Could you imagine an American Christmas without Santa, all because of African kids? The backlash would be intense, with sanctions likely imposed on Africa.

In conclusion, while Santa Claus—or Father Christmas—brings immense joy to kids in other parts of the world, his absence in Africa is palpable. Perhaps one day, we’ll have our own version of Santa who braves the heat, sidesteps lions, and delivers joy to children across the continent. Until then, we’ll keep celebrating Christmas as our “Protein Day” or “Soda Day” and cherishing the small but meaningful traditions that make the holiday special.

This Christmas, you can be Father Christmas for hundreds of underserved children. Spread joy by donating here: https://givebutter.com/nbomkt. Thank you for making a difference!

Thank you for reading!

The post Why Santa Claus (Father Christmas) Never Visits Africa (2nd Edition) first appeared on Fafali.

Recently, eight delegates—six children and two adults—from the Fafali Organization were invited by Sports dans la Ville to participate in Festival24, a pre-Olympics event in Lyon and Paris. Our delegates will attend various activities and workshops designed to shape their futures and empower their communities. To top it all off, they will experience the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony!

Out of the eight delegates who went through the entire process—interviews, numerous briefings and preparations, visa applications, and pre-departure briefings—one person was denied a visa, despite having no concrete reason given. This denial will likely have a toll on her, especially given the lack of a clear explanation.

We have sent children from Ghana to the USA, UK, Egypt, Nigeria, and now France, but often, it might seem like we don’t know what we are doing because we have to be careful about how we handle the process.

In 2022, Afi, a junior golfer in our program, qualified to play in the World Junior Championship by The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A). The R&A is a leading body within the world of golf and supports activities to ensure it is a thriving sport for all on a global scale. Unfortunately, she didn’t receive her visa in time to participate in the event and only got it after the event had ended. Had she gone, she would have been the first female golfer from Ghana to participate in the championship.

Many people in her local community attributed the visa delay to superstition, believing that when she won the Ghana Junior Open to qualify to represent Ghana, the announcement caused jealousy, and some individuals used voodoo to prevent her from getting the visa on time. The embassy explained the delay was due to an increased number of visa and asylum cases related to the Ukraine war. They advised us to apply for a priority visa in the future, which would ensure a decision within five business days.

Due to missing the tournament, Afi was ridiculed in her community by both adults and children, causing her to become depressed, but she eventually overcame these challenges with support and counseling.

The World Junior Championship is a bi-annual event, and in 2024, Afi qualified again to represent Ghana, poised to make history as the first female to do so. We applied for her visa on time and made it a priority application, expecting it within five business days. However, once again, there was an unexplained delay. As of now, the 2024 World Golf Junior Championship is over, and Afi still hasn’t received her visa. However, this time, she was mentally prepared for any outcome and had already traveled to Nigeria, Egypt, and the USA, overcoming intimidation and bullying.

When traveling abroad from Ghana, many people keep it secret, especially for children, for several reasons:

1. Superstition: Religion and superstition play a significant role in Ghana, including in travel plans. There are many stories of people being spiritually attacked, leading to visa refusals or significant delays, like Afi’s case. Some even fall ill or are sent back home upon arrival at their destination. Conversely, there are also instances where religious leaders pray for travelers, and their journey goes smoothly.
2. Jealousy: In communities where everyone is struggling, jealousy is common. When someone shares good news, they often face abuse and bullying. If a visa is denied, the ridicule intensifies, pushing some to their breaking point.
3. Visa Denial: Obtaining a visa to travel to Europe or America is as difficult as going to space for many in sub-Saharan Africa. The high poverty levels in these regions contribute to this difficulty. Many people do not return once they travel, making visa approvals even more stringent.
4. Physical Attack: Announcing travel plans can lead to physical harm. For children involved in sports, teammates might injure them intentionally. Adults can also face physical abuse.

Unfortunately, this secrecy is not required for foreigners or wealthy individuals in our community, who are celebrated and wished well when they announce their travel plans. The secrecy around our children’s travel affects our fundraising strategies and goals, making it seem like we are disorganized. In Ghana, most companies will not sponsor unless there is proof of a visa, and by the time we obtain it, it’s often too late.

Fafali was established to empower underserved children to help curb or eradicate some of these issues in the future.

Thank you for reading!

The post The Secrecy of Traveling first appeared on Fafali.

Since its inception, the Weeden Foundation has been a steadfast ally to the Fafali Organization, spanning from its pre-Fafali origins to the establishment of the organization in 2021. Notably, the Foundation stands as the primary benefactor of Fafali, offering their support in various facets of our initiatives.

Aligned in two pivotal program areas, the synergy between the Weeden Foundation and Fafali Organization is palpable:

Weeden Foundation’s Environment program focuses on nurturing future environmental stewards, advocating for policies that safeguard biodiversity and habitat preservation. Complementarily, Fafali’s environmental endeavors strive to instill environmental consciousness in community youth, fostering proactive engagement and tailored solutions to local ecological challenges.

In parallel, the Foundation’s International Population program endeavors towards global population stabilization and decline, emphasizing the intersectionality of population dynamics with environmental sustainability. Fafali, through its Gender Equality Program, addresses this nexus by empowering girls to assert control over their reproductive health, thereby curbing high birth rates and fostering educational opportunities.

Through the generous funding provided by the Weeden Foundation, Fafali has sustained its environmental education efforts, impacting over 300 children annually. Our environmental club convenes regularly, delving into topics such as waste management, climate change, and community gardening, while monthly educational programs extend the reach to even more children within our community.

In 2023, the Weeden Foundation’s support enabled Fafali’s pivotal “Girls On Mission” project, aimed at curbing teenage pregnancies and enhancing educational prospects for girls. The multifaceted initiative encompassed Sexual and Reproductive Health Education, High School Education, and STEM Education, yielding remarkable outcomes, including a reduction in teenage pregnancies from 16 to zero within a year.

The Weeden Foundation’s funding has far-reaching effects, extending to all 27 girls in our program who graduated from junior high school in 2023. They were provided support to continue their education in senior high school, marking a milestone previously unattained by our organization. Many of these girls are trailblazers in their families, being the first to pursue senior high education.

Furthermore, beyond financial backing, the Weeden family has demonstrated unparalleled commitment by actively engaging with Fafali, whether virtually or through hands-on involvement in Ghana. Their dedication underscores a shared commitment to effecting positive change.

As we mark our 3rd anniversary, we extend profound gratitude to the Weeden Foundation for their invaluable support, which directly impacts approximately 600 individuals annually and ripples through to benefit around 5000 community members indirectly. Together, we march steadfastly towards our aligned goals, buoyed by the support of the Weeden Foundation.

Thank you for reading!

The post A Shared Journey: Fafali’s Gratitude to Weeden Foundation’s Support first appeared on Fafali.

The event is scheduled to host about sixty (60) girls from Kissehman, Christian Village, and its surrounding communities.

This event is in line with our objective of empowering the girl child through our girl empowerment program (Mino). The theme for this year’s event is “Educated Girl, Empowered Woman” as we believe that education is a great step in empowering our girls.

The goal of the ‘FAFALI GIRL’S RETREAT’ event is to give our girls the opportunity to interact with women who have risen amidst obstacles to the top and are achieving incredible things women could only dream of due to gender discrimination.

Women used to be thought of as secondary human beings in the world a few years back and according to the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women, “All around the world women and girls are routinely denied access to education and healthcare; they are under-represented in economic and political decision-making and suffer from violence and discrimination”, which is why the Fafali Organization is contributing its quota to help empower the girl child to overcome these adversities.

Topics for the Event

Social Media – Teaching the girl child to make good use of social media can go a long way in helping her not to fall prey to the evil sides of the world as everything we do in our world today revolves around social media.

Sex Exploitation – Young girls these days tend to suffer a lot from the hands of pedophiles who disguise themselves to offer helping hands to these innocent girls. In the act of offering to help, they sexually exploit these girls who are going to live with this emotional scar for the rest of their lives.

Child Trafficking – Many young girls have fallen into situations where they can’t help but move on with life. People traffic these girls against their will for all kinds of sexual acts. We as an organization intend to offer hope to these helpless girls.

Sex Education – We as an organization are not against ‘SEX’, but at what age and how do these young girls indulge in sexual acts? Our resource personnel will do their best to teach these girls safe sex and when not to get involved in sex.

Adolescence – Being an adolescent comes with its challenges; growing pubic hairs, menstruation, etc. These young ones will be taught how to practice personal hygiene and to be the best version of themselves during this period.

Gender Bias – We hope to educate our girls on issues of gender bias. Gender bias is behavior that shows favoritism toward one gender over another. This in the past and even now is against women. For guys not to also fall in the minority in our attempt to empower women, we must ensure equity.

Career Choice – There are so many intelligent girls in our communities that have attained some level of education (i.e. formal/informal) but are stuck as to what career choice to go by. With the guidance of our resource personnel, we hope to assists these girls make the best career choices for themselves.

Mental Health – Mental health issues in our part of the world are not taken too seriously, but many people are suffering from some form of mental health disorder most especially, women. We intend to use this medium to educate our girls on how to deal with issues of mental health.

Resource personnel for the event will be announced in due time but our overnight retreat will include some side attractions like; cooking, playing educational games, a movie night with discussions, and so much more.

We as an organization hope to make this event a quarterly event (Every 3 months) but it costs us a lot to put these programs together as a nonprofit organization. We call on sponsors to come on board to empower these helpless girls to become empowered women.

For sponsorship and inquiries, contact us via:

Call/WhatsApp: (+233) 59 913 7301

Email: Fafaliorg@gmail.com

Website: https://fafaliorganization.org/

Thank you for reading!

The post FAFALI GIRL’S RETREAT : Educated Girl, Empowered Woman first appeared on Fafali.

This is in line with our objective of acquiring enough exercise books for underserved children in our community as there is little we can do on our own as a charity organization.

Raymond Amezado, (founder, Fafali organization), “Each and every new academic term, we have kids trooping into our office to receive some stationaries for school. We as an organization have reached a point where we are unable to provide for every child that comes by the office for books”  

He added,” this is why we have decided to use this medium (Charity walk & run for education) to call on all stakeholders to contribute their quota to the community by donating at least one (1) exercise book to the Fafali Organization”.

We expect about 1000 to 2000 people from the community (i.e. Religious groups, individuals, keep fit clubs, business organizations, schools, as well as children in the communities).

Program Outline

To partake in any of the activities on the day, everyone is expected to donate at least one exercise book to this course.

The activities on the day include;

• 5km walk and Jama
• 5km jogging and Jama
• 5km ladies marathon
• 5km men’s marathon
• And many more side attractions

Prizes

Participants who win each of the designated events are assured of going home with prizes from the Fafali Organization courtesy KitAid UK. The prizes are mainly new set of jerseys.

The meeting point is at the Kissehman Sports Complex and the event starts at exactly 7 am (No African Time).

For more information, Contact the Fafali organization via the following means;

• Call/WhatsApp – (+233) 59 913 7301
• E-mail – Fafaliorg@gmail.com
• Website – https://fafaliorganization.org/

Thank you for reading!

The post FAFALI CHARITY WALK & RUN FOR EDUCATION first appeared on Fafali.

The chicken thigh is reserved for the head of the family which is my uncle in this situation. On any ordinary day a chicken wing would have been shared among four of us. I also get the chance to drink a full bottle of soft drink or mineral or soda. As children we will drink a bottle of Coke or Pepsi and my uncle or the adults will drink Malt.

If it were up to me Christmas day should be called “Protein Day” in Africa or “Soda Day” because that’s the day many children in the motherland will taste full chicken wings or chicken leg. Those chickens were as skinny as possible, I sometimes think they are dehydrated. The situation today has changed a lot in my community that I grew up in but it’s still the same for many children living in the motherland. As much as I am happy to see the condition improve in my community, I wish the educational infrastructure has improved as well but that’s not the case.

Father Christmas as we call it normally is considered to be synonymous with the US and international figure of Santa Claus, he was originally part of an unrelated and much older English folkloric tradition. We are not going to dig into the difference between Santa Claus and Father Christmas since it’s ended up being the same thing in this modern day. First of all, Santa Claus is known in Ghana as “Father Christmas, the name Father Christmas came from England and since we were colonized by the British we therefore prefer Father Christmas.

Well it happened that I migrated to the USA and started hearing Santa Claus which with an accent I thought was “Satan Cross” so I wasn’t a fan of “Satan Cross” for a long time and I dare not asked anybody because then my ignorant self will come out. Don’t ask why I didn’t google it because google wasn’t popular then and even if it was, I wouldn’t know because I wasn’t that familiar with the internet when I moved to America.

I later did my research and found out who Santa Claus aka Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle are all the same as Father Christmas. Though Father Christmas was very popular name and still popular name in Africa, he has never visited children in Africa and that’s very wicked of him because he could have spread the joy he brings to children in Europe and in America to Africa. I have seen children open gifts in America and the amount of happiness Santa brings to them is very tremendous.

On a continent prong with wars, poverty, greed and selfishness, where children are neglected, Santa or Father Christmas would have been the perfect sunshine for these children but he refused to show up but I think if he was a woman he would have showed up out of compassion and that brings to my question why we don’t have “Mother Christmas” or Santa Chloe”   Here are the reasons given to why Father Christmas don’t show up or have never travel to Africa.

Santa is a Man

If Santa was a woman, she would have cared for the African children.

Weather

Santa only travels in cold weathers, the snow and the cool temperature is what keeps his wagon going by those John Deeres but as we all know the weather in Africa doesn’t permit that. The countries which will be cold in the winter and would have been a perfect fit for Santa during the month of December are Muslim countries in Africa and he better not go there.

Lack of Scheme

Since the countries where Santa can visit in Africa don’t have cold weather enough to have Schemes on their buildings, it will be impossible for Father Christmas to make it into the homes even if he tried and made it to Africa. Maybe I should propose Scheme to Africans, this will get us a step closer to convincing Father Christmas to change his mind.

Lions

Imagine Santa has a problem with his wagon and was trying to fix it in the jungle or maybe made it to the house and couldn’t make it into the house and there is a lion waiting for him. Those John Deeres would make a palatable meat for the lions. Santa will not risk his chances to satisfying Africa children and miss out on the rest of United State of America, because per our time zones he would have to be in Africa first before making it to America. Imagine America Christmas without a Santa all because of African children; I wonder what sanction the government of the USA will impose on Africa.

Greedy Western Kids

The amount of letters that children write from America and Europe alone in a year to Santa exceeds the number of books the whole continent of Africa has published in its existence. Since Africa is on the miscellaneous list, by the time Santa is done reading the letters from America alone he is gasping for air. Apart from taking the school bus or riding with their parent to school, sitting in a climate control classrooms, eating half a chicken in a day, they never consider their friends in the motherland. Parents in America and Europe need to address this issue with their spoilt brats.

Well since you now know the story behind why Santa never goes to Africa, make sure you remember the poor child that is sitting somewhere in Africa thinking about what to eat on this very day which is supposed to celebrate the birth of Christ. Cast your bread upon the waters.

Thank you for reading!

The post Why Santa Claus (Father Christmas) Never goes to Africa first appeared on Fafali.

The team of investors from South Carolina with their counterparts of mining specialists from Georgia and North Carolina arrived in Ghana to purchase some land with their Ghanaian partner, which is my cousin. Of course, the investors from America had the money while my cousin had the opportunity because in Ghana you will need a Ghanaian to buy land to start mining though there are ways around it.

Within a week or two after meetings upon meetings, customary rites, and signing of documents among other things after the first inspection of the land by the investors, they were granted permission to test the land for gold and other natural resources. After which they will be ready to do what they came to do.   Since it was late for the final processes before the testing of the land, it was adjourned for the next day.

In their small hotel rooms, the team from America made up of gold prospecting experts, geologists, geophysicists, and the list continues couldn’t wait for the next day. While waiting for the D-day for mineral testing, they were happy at the same time anxious, they were chuckling on their phones with their counterparts or other investors who could not make it. Their childhood dream of owning a mining company is about to materialize, a dream led by my cousin.

By 4 am the cocks or the roosters of the land started crowing which is the natural alarm for the break of dawn in Ghana. The first “cock-a-doodle-doo” brought a big smile on their faces. By 6 am they were on the land to start the business of the day but little did they know that other people were there as well for their early morning business of the day.

These are people who came to poop or defecate which is done early in the morning while it’s not too bright outside to conceal nakedness and not too dark for possible navigation around previous day poops or craps.

Opening defecation is still something common in Africa and one in five Ghanaians have no access to a toilet and defecate in the open, with open defecation rates over 70% in Northern Ghana.

After one to two hours of delay due to people participating in nature’s call, work on mineral testing began, and within 15 minutes of work one of the team members, Brayden shouted; “I can’t believe these people are sh*ting on gold”. The truth to be told, the local people were pooping on gold.  Ghana is Africa’s second-largest producer of gold and is also known for its reserves of various industrial minerals.

Please allow me to give you some class on minerals in the belly of Africa. First of all, it’s not coincidental that Europeans came to South Africa to initiate Apartheid. The US Geological Survey estimated that as of 2002, South Africa held about 50% of the world’s gold resources and 38% of reserves.

Botswana is the leading diamond-producing country in terms of value, and the second largest in terms of volume. There are generally 15 diamond-producing countries in Africa. They are Botswana, South Africa, Angola, Namibia, Congo, Zimbabwe, Guinea, Ghana, Congo, Lesotho, Liberia, Sierra Leone, CAR, Tanzania, and Togo.

Anyway, the mineral testing was very successful and at the time of writing this article they are doing fantastic and about 5 different minerals are being mined daily.

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” and “In abundance of water the fool is thirsty”, While we continue to poop on gold, we are also walloping in poverty due to the inability to empower our human resources.

In 2021, there are 490 million people in Africa living in extreme poverty, or 36% of the total population. This number is up from 481 million in 2019. Although this is an increase of just over 9 million, it represents an overall decrease as the population increased by roughly 30 million.

As a whole, Africa is not on target to meet its Sustainable Development Goal 1 – Eradicate Poverty by 2030.

To change the situation of people pooping on gold and using the natural resources deposited in the belly to better the continent, we suggest three simultaneous revolutions – in governance, education, and communications to catapult Africa forward.

Above all, the development of Africa’s human resources is the key to the continent’s advancement. Human resources play an important role in attaining the economic development of a country.

Economic development of a country involves proper utilization of its physical resources by its labor force and other forms of manpower for the proper utilization of the production potential of the country.

Thank you for reading!

The post “Pooping” on Golds and Diamonds Literally -A true story first appeared on Fafali.

Fighting poverty is like fighting a guerrilla war. Guerrilla tactics are based on intelligence, ambush, deception, sabotage, and espionage, undermining an authority through long, low-intensity confrontation. It can be quite successful against an unpopular foreign or local regime, as demonstrated by the Cuban Revolution, Afghanistan War and Vietnam War.

The simplest and the most cost-effective way of fighting guerilla warfare is to employ the service of the local people, empower them and let them handle the situation or the enemy. The same can be applied to fighting poverty, the local people need to lead their crusade.

According to Forbes, the war in Afghanistan cost America $300 million per day for 20 years, with big bills yet to come. After 20 years, the U.S. presence in Afghanistan has failed to establish any coherent and sustainable political structure with popular legitimacy. Based on that experience, and the experiences in other countries in other circumstances, there is no reason to think that a continued troop presence would change that.

But the criticisms, while valid, may be beside the point. In my view, the clear conclusion from all the evidence is that military intervention should be focused on military objectives, and should not diverge into political or social engineering.

George Santayana once said “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it ,” prior to the Americans invading Afghanistan, the Soviet made the same mistake. The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan on December 24, 1979 under the pretext of upholding the Soviet-Afghan Friendship Treaty. The treaty was signed in 1978 and the two countries agreed to provide economic and military assistance. They ended up leaving in shame like the Americans.

These trends are similar to the philanthropic world in Africa. Over the years, trillions of dollars have been spent on Africa all in the name of charity or change but Africa is getting worse every day. Just like the Afghan war, there are a lot of people who pretend to know how to solve our problems but the truth of the matter is that they are running on their intuition and emotions.

“We Are the World” is a charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World. With sales in excess of 20 million copies, it is the eighth best-selling physical single of all time (Holden Stephen, 1985).

I was two years old when this song was released and the world went crazy about the affairs on the continent of Africa. Just like “We Are the World,” there have been many hit stories, songs, movies to create the awareness of a situation in Africa; Blood Diamond, Hotel Rwanda and so on.

There have been great campaigns, stories that have moved the world all in the name of changing Africa but the truth is that the continent is growing darker every day. The poorest country in the world is Burundi, with a GDP per capita of $264 and nearly all of the world’s poorest countries are in Africa, though Haiti, Tajikistan, Yemen, and Afghanistan are notable exceptions.

Why have all these campaigns and efforts failed to improve Africa? The answer is a simple one; we the people are not in charge of our change. The big organizations from the western world have mastered how to tell our stories to raise funds and like any storyteller, they cannot perform the task after they have raised the funds.

Philanthropy is not about storytelling though storytelling is a significant part of philanthropy. Change is not about storytelling, it’s about knowledge, strategic planning and the right action of execution.

As a philanthropist from Africa, I don’t have to come up with a story because I am the story. I was born and raised in Kissehman, a slum in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. Since I was born in the slum and I know my people, I don’t have to sugar coat the story, I don’t have to make any story up, I am the story. 

My mom is from a village called Klokope in the Volta Region of Ghana and I have spent over 10 years in that village to know about the sufferings of the people in that village or any typical village in Ghana or Africa for that matter.

No organization in this world that has its founders from North America, Europe or Asia is going to change Africa’s narrative. It has never happened in the history of mankind and it will not happen now, the last time we were convinced about a better future, we were enslaved and colonized.

Just like Afghanistan, if all charity organizations from the Western World should pull out of Africa, Africa will fall on its knees worse than Afghanistan. In Ghana, the basic infrastructure and system where people can donate to their favorite charities like GoFundMe, PayPal and so on doesn’t exist, even a common platform/website administered by locals where people can post volunteer opportunities and where people can volunteer doesn’t exist.

The last time I checked, there is no college offering nonprofit degrees in Ghana hence we have to depend on western education to solve local problems, we have to use western platforms to seek volunteers and donation solve local problems. Meanwhile in America and Europe, you can even have a doctorate in nonprofit management.

What happened to charity organizations teaching Africans to fish instead of giving them fish?  Grantors or funders need to invest in African founded nonprofit organizations if they really want to see change. To need to pay attention to local tactics and innovations that is local community tailored solutions.

Though I am from Ghana, I am also American and as matter-of-fact I am an Afghan War Veteran, I did two tours in Afghanistan and I am very familiar with Afghanistan. While we the American soldiers were thinking about air conditioning in our tents, our Afghan counterparts didn’t care about that. We were worried about which expensive vehicles to protect us from improvised explosive device (IED) which never did. A lot of the money spent in Afghanistan was to make the US soldiers comfortable while at war, it’s war for a reason.

Like the Afghan situation, most foreign organization personnel worry about driving four-wheel cars, having a great place to reside before solving the problem in Africa. When they get through all these then they would now have to see if they even understand the situation and if not, they have to do research.

Dr. Kwame Nkrumah once said; “I am not African because I was born in Africa but because Africa was born in me.” I need no research to tell me about the life in Africa, I lived it; I know the ugly classrooms, I know about no electricity, I know about the mosquitos, I know about the cholera, the hunger, the abuse, the oppression, the drinking of polluted rivers, the public toilet, the wars, I know it not from research or reading but from experience.

Most organization s with the financial muscle to change Africa are from the West and just like America and The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) leaving Afghanistan, I am convinced that the west will one day pull out of Africa, they will leave in a hurry and leave us like the way they left the Afghan people.

To change Africa, foundations have to invest in African founded organizations and treat philanthropy in Africa like a guerilla warfare. They need to understand that Africa is 100 years behind and the foundation is what needs to be worked on.

They also have to understand that innovation in Africa is not about going to the moon or creating the next weapon of mass destruction but rather the basic systems like platforms for local people to donate to charitable course with ease, a local platform where one can browse through to volunteer in his/her community, electricity, trash collection, better curriculum, plumbing, activity for children, community parks, libraries, better schools, and so on.

When the USA and NATO pulled out of Afghanistan, the Afghan government didn’t believe in its own defense because it was never in charge, the USA and NATO were. We are not in charge of the change in our communities, the western world is. Support us to be the agents of change in our communities to avoid Afghanistan in “Africa Philanthropy.”

Thank you for reading!

The post Philanthropy: A Lesson from The Afghanistan War first appeared on Fafali.

The goal of this partnership is to initiate the step to curb the football coaching problems in Ghana and the rest of Africa. Also, is to grow the game of soccer among the youth with a special concentration on the girl child to promote the healthy living and wellbeing of children.

Of course, sweeping generalizations are dangerous, but in Ghana the soccer coaches who are supposed to train the children the basics of football themselves do not understand the game.

As a result, the players at the very young age are not equipped with basic technique and tactics and modern trends of the game as is done for their counterparts in other countries. The coaching academy in Ghana is not fantastic, of course you have a couple of good coaches but you have quite a number of coaches who are working on talented players who don’t understand the game.

The game of football has moved from the old way where the responsibility lay on star players to keep making plays for their teams to stand a chance in ball games. The beautiful game of football has become a game of chess where the coach is actually in control of the outcome.

In attendance were 70 coaches from six regions of Ghana and other parts of Africa (i.e., Liberia, South Africa, Togo, Benin, Nigeria etc.). Coach the Coaches Course was a one-month event that had three batches of coaches coming for a week from the 2nd of August to the end of the month. The participants were taken through a one-week intensive training which involved both theory and most importantly, practical.

During the same period, there were ongoing soccer clinics for over 700 children in two regions and the purpose of the clinic was to help kids build valuable life skills, such as hard work, decision-making, problem-solving, and communication. Through healthy competition organized during these clinics, we also teach the importance of teamwork and cooperation, balanced by good sportsmanship.

It is no surprise that participants are calling for the course to become a yearly event as they have acquired requisite knowledge of the game to guide them in their subsequent endeavors.

Click here to watch theoretical and practical lessons of the Coach the Coaches Course.

Click here to watch the soccer clinics organized by Phocus Soccer.

Thank you for reading!

The post Fafali Partners With Phocus Soccer To Enhance Soccer Development in Ghana and Africa. first appeared on Fafali.