Ghana Children’s Home Achieves Self-Sufficiency Through Ongoing Support
The fight for global justice isn’t just about giving a handout; it’s about providing a hand up that lifts individuals and whole communities out of their poverty situations. At IntelliTect, we want to do more for communities than give those in need a meal; we want to provide the tools they need to take care of themselves on a daily basis.
In 2011, we partnered with the International Assistance Program (IAP) to continue growing their vision for the Sawla Children’s Home, in Sawla, Ghana, that they had built in 2007 along with other Spokane area businesses. Sawla is a small town that sits at a dusty crossroads in the middle of northern Ghana. The town is a difficult and long ten-hour drive from Accra, the capital city of Ghana. As a result of its isolation, the abandoned children and orphans of this region were often left to fend for themselves. But, not anymore.
The home was built on farmland, and in 2014 IntelliTect purchased a new full-sized tractor with farming implements that can be utilized at the home and rented out to local farms. This tractor was the first mechanical farm tool in the area and has dramatically increased the agricultural production for the entire region. The difference between the people of a village hand digging rows and harvesting crops by hand compared to a tractor doing the work was significant! This tractor not only increased food production and reduced work days for the region, but it also has been helping to provide funds for the Sawla Children’s Home since 2015. The tractor and another financial donation from IntelliTect also helped the Children’s Home purchase more acreage where they use the tractor to dig irrigation for cashews, maize, and yams which feed the children and are sold at the local market.
Today, the Sawla Children’s Home has their own profitable bakery, a lodge and a restaurant that serves the community. The dream of making the Children’s Home completely self-sufficient is about to become a reality because of the Sawla View Lodge and Restaurant. This lodge is now open to the public, and the restaurant is expanding to include open-air seating on the roof. These ongoing projects are funded by profits from their tractor rental business, ongoing support from contributors, and two substantial gifts from IntelliTect. When complete, the lodge and restaurant will be able to completely sustain the Children’s Home as well as provide good jobs for local community members.
At IntelliTect, our mission is to be:
“Phenomenal people discovering innovative solutions to challenging problems.”
Through our partnership with the Sawla Village leaders and Spokane NGO IAP, we’ve met some genuinely phenomenal individuals that are transforming this town and region in northern Ghana. The region’s children are safe, well cared for, able to attend school, and the town has a sustainable business to keep locals working. We’re honored to be a part of it.
Visit the ISP website for more info about IAP’s ongoing work at the Sawla Children’s Home.