Trade-ing Up launches student sponsorship program for Ghana beneficiaries
Washington D.C. — Trade-ing Up, a non-profit focused on vocational education in Ghana, launches the Sponsor a Student program October 2017.
Trade-ing Up is the brainchild of Brandon McGee and Kyle Wiese. Over many visits to Ghana in 2015-17, they encountered youth in the town of Yeji eager to earn certifications in sought-after trades such as dress-making and carpentry. These youth, striving to join the local workforce, cannot afford their own education.
That’s where Trade-ing Up comes in.
Trade-ing Up students are between the ages of 15 (the minimum required to take certification tests for any trade in Ghana) and 25. They all fall at or below the local poverty line, and cannot pay the cost for their education, which is only $368 USD. The students come from Yeji and surrounding villages. The first year of Trade-ing Up instruction begins February, 2018.
Those interested in sponsoring a Trade-ing Up student make a commitment of $368, which covers apprentice fees, uniforms, food, and a sewing machine. Without Trade-ing Up, many of these students require 2-3 years of instruction, but with your help they can complete their certification in one year as full time students.
Sponsors receive a handmade gift courtesy of Trade-ing Up’s artisan partners, as well as regular updates on the student’s progress from the Trade-ing Up team, and a personal letter from their student.
Sponsors can make their pledge on the Trade-ing Up website, or on their Rally.org campaign.
About Trade-ing Up
Trade-ing Up is a 501(c)3 non-profit registered in the U.S. and working in Yeji, Ghana, to provide holistic empowerment from the bottom up through vocational education and provide the certifications required to become an active member of the local workforce and economy. Find out more at www.trade-ingup.org
Source: Trade-ing Up
Oral Ofori is Founder and Publisher at www.TheAfricanDream.net, a digital storyteller and producer, and also an information and research consultant.
