Moving Moments in Ghana | 2025 US Trip Highlights.

By: Cassie Rosengren & Christine Joseph

The Power of Proximity: Why Being There Matters

True change doesn’t happen from a boardroom. It happens where people live, work, and dream of a better future. Uplifting at-risk children in rural Ghana is an inside job and it requires active presence, deep listening, and collective understanding.

Each year, Mako’s US Board dedicates their time, energy and personal funds to be present with our kids, our leaders, and the community we serve. Upon each visit, we find remarkable progress, and heartbreaking realities. In rural Ghana, the shortage of basic resources and struggles of everyday life are undeniable. With each year, we recognize how far we’ve come. Through shared meals, classroom chats, and brainstorm sessions; our local leaders, teachers, and children realize that we aren’t just funders we’re invested partners.

As we reflect on our recent trip, we’re proud to report that the purpose, programs, and people of Mako are making major strides each and every day - often in new and remarkable ways.

Mako Home: A Hub for Community

Walk into the Mako home, and you’ll immediately feel the love. Children and volunteers fill the space and spark new ways to connect and grow a living reminder of what happens when care is consistent and community is strong.

At the heart of our mission is every child we’ve committed to.

Thanks to our donors, and The Children’s Empowerment Fund, that hasn’t changed. What is changing is what’s possible for children beyond our current reach.

We’re growing deepening our impact, responding to urgent needs, and expanding what safety, education, and opportunity can look like.

This next chapter of Mako wouldn’t be possible without the partnership and belief of so many. To Hart Howerton, MoldersDB, and the local champions—from Members of Parliament to Chiefs, Ghana’s Educational Department, and everyday community members—thank you. To our US donors supporting our future community center build, via The Opportunity Fund, your generous donations are hard at work. You’re not just supporting a mission. You’re building a movement.

Highlights of High-Impact Programs

Mako’s Academic Excellence Program (AEP), and Arts & Culture Program (ACP) are two of our longest standing, ongoing programs. As of 2025, these programs are officially recognized and supported, in part, by Ghana’s Education Services Department!

Free for all community children who need support; these programs are lifelines that give safety, shelter, and hope during the most vulnerable hours for at-risk children (after school and weekends). 

Via these programs, 40+ children come to close learning gaps, gain access to books, and tap into the joy of music and dance. Attendees and volunteers are served a meal, and clean drinking water - for many, it is the only sustenance they’ll get that day.

​In a world where too many children are asked to survive without the basics, Mako is a place where they can thrive with dignity, care, and hope.

Mentoring Mako’s Youth & Young Leaders 

At Mako, the U.S. Board’s role extends far beyond strategy; it’s about walking alongside the young adults and local leaders as they pursue their dreams. When we invest in them, they give back and invest in the younger generation. 

Many of our youth carry burdens beyond their years—supporting families with their first earnings, navigating complex realities with grit and grace. Through financial literacy, mentorship, and meaningful job opportunities, we’re helping them build futures rooted in stability and self-worth.

Whether exploring college campuses or hiking Wli Waterfalls, these moments remind us: Big kids need our love, attention, and affection too. The U.S. Board are forever students; learning from the children, local leaders, community and culture at large.

Record Turnout for Community Events

Adults and children alike are coming together via Mako. During this trip, the US Board attended and hosted workshops within the community. Together, we explored mental health through breathwork, goal-setting strategies, and leadership lessons from icons like Maya Angelou and Kevin Hart.

Mako’s living room transformed again and again: into a tutoring hall, a yoga studio, a catwalk for a locally-led fashion show, a meditation circle, a lecture space, a drum and dance floor — and more.

International Women’s Day!

In celebration of International Women’s Day, Mako leaders teamed up with Dr. Sitsofe Gbogbo and Honorable MP Efo Worlanyo Tsekpo (the youngest MP to represent the Ho Region) to host a leadership speaker series. Cassie Rosengren, Mako’s U.S. President, was honored to be one of the keynote speakers, sharing the importance of owning our truth, embracing our inner-child, and making value-based decisions. The message was clear from both men and women:

“Ghana’s society is built by women and they are the backbone of our families, and they are the future of our economic growth.”

- Honorable MP Efo Worlanyo Tsekpo

Menstrual Hygiene Day at Mako

In a community where conversations about women’s health are too often silenced, we co-hosted an informational event and 62 children showed up for the Menstrual Hygiene Workshop! 

“How do I use a pad?” “Do periods make you feel sad?”  “Can boys have periods too?”

The curiosity of these children were met with knowledge, empathy, and empowerment. Local health professionals and student leaders from the University of Health and Allied Sciences including local beauty queens led a powerful session that broke stigma and built confidence.

For many girls, it was their first time learning about their bodies in a way that felt safe, shame-free, and celebratory. Young boys took notes diligently for their sisters back home. Each one left not only with a free supply of sanitary pads, but with something even more lasting: the knowledge that girls are not broken, they are built beautifully and deserve to be understood, respected, and cared for.

These shared experiences bring us closer building trust, knowledge, and a shared belief in the power of community.

With Gratitude and Forward Momentum

To the Mako Ghana Leadership, our Advisors, and the extraordinary partners who make this mission real thank you. Your belief, your time, and your presence fuel every breakthrough and every moment of joy we get to witness on the ground.

The needs are real. So is the impact.

Evans Klu, a young man who grew up with Mako, said it best: “In Ghana, everything happens everywhere all at once. It is a place that has nonstop suffering and beauty. It can be chaotic, but with the right people, it is wonderful.” As we reflect on our vast and varied experiences from this trip, and from this decade of advocating for at-risk children in Ghana, we couldn’t agree more.

Whether you're dreaming of joining us in Ghana, eager to get involved through fundraising or volunteering, or simply curious about how your talents can make a difference we’d love to hear from you! Respond to this email and we would love to connect with you.  

Together, we can open more doors, nourish more dreams, and raise a generation rooted in possibility.

How to Support Mako Children

Every dollar counts in providing continuous care for our kids. Become a member of our EveryChild and Scholar Collectives, make a one-time donation or get involved as a volunteer or board member today.

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