In the United States, we have a linear model in which to be productive in this country. Despite the statistics in regards to how our educational system competes with other countries, the laws we have in place allow our children to attend school, learn the necessary competencies, and receive a diploma. It is important for our children to have viable access to an education. The thought is automatic. Because education is so prevalent in the United States, we begin to take for granted how fortunate we are to be able to go to school.

According to the latest BECE (Basic Education Exam) results in Ghana, only 49% of the pupils that completed the exam were qualified for placement in secondary schools and technical institutions. The figures are abysmal. It’s no secret that the educational system in Ghana has it’s challenges but the statistics are a clear indication that the country has a severe crisis. How can we change this statistic?

What the Maalgo Project aims to accomplish is provide the basic facets of the academic process for children in rural Ghana. To give to the Maalgo Project means that you value education and it’s importance to a child who does not have access to the things we take for granted. Giving the gift of knowledge is a magnanimous act of kindness. You’re not just offering a book, a pencil, or a backpack but an opportunity for someone to establish a foundation that will set the standard for how they will grow and thrive. It’s a great way to get the season of giving off to a brilliant start.

-David Bettencourt

With our Summer Soiree wrapping up this weekend, we over here at Maalgo Headquarters are reminded once again how fabulous you all are! It was by far our most successful event yet and cannot thank you all enough for participating.

Who knew a little daytime BBQ could raise so much money for our library project?! With that one fundraiser we have raised enough money to buy and ship the necessary art supplies to begin our After School Program.

Children who have never had a pack of crayons will now be able to participate in a comprehensive arts program, what a wonderful gift!!

We have been working on an exciting video to share. Take a look! Let us know what you think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mH24ALOCCkc

Want to get involved? Give the gift of education to a child in need! Purchase your “Give” necklace on our website, all proceeds go to The Maalgo Project.

http://themaalgoproject.org/give-a-little/

Enjoy this beautiful day!

We had Deanna a teacher from San Jose who donated used books out of her classroom. Natalie, a high school student from Presentation High School who facilitated a book drive at her school. Polly a student from San Jose State collected clothing and shoes at her house to send in our latest shipment. And of course Cookie, who is always organizing her friends in Hayward to pull together and donate school supplies. These are just a few of the people who have gone above and beyond to make this last shippment our biggest yet, so thank you guys!!!

What a wonderful, giving community we have here! It’s so heartwarming to see the outpouring of support we have received. We are doing great things and it is all due to you. A little library now has books, where there were none before. Amazing!

Thank you all so, so much for the continued love,
Kathleen

P.S. Our next fundraiser: Save The Date Saturday, August 27…Summer Soiree in San Jose!

There’ll be painting, there’ll be music, dance, spoken word…you name it, we’ve got it. Yep, over here at Maalgo we are embracing the spring time renewal with a good ol’ fashioned fundraiser.

Not only that but at the fundraiser we will be collecting school supplies to send out to our little library in Ghana. So don’t just come and enjoy the arts, bring a pack of pencils or pens!

Treat Yourself!

Thursday, May 26 · 7:00pm – 10:00pm
Caffe Trieste (next door to Original Joe’s)
315 S 1st St
San Jose, California

Janssen Builders www.jbuilders.com has generously decided to help us fulfill our goal of bringing education to everyone!

Janssesn Builders is a one stop shop for all your construction needs, with over sixteen years experience in the bay area. They do it all! Not only that but they do it all with a passion for giving back. They will be donating 5% of all sales to our little project.

A few of their specialities include: residential and commercial spaces, custom home build outs, and more.

Help them help! Email them with any construction needs: pete@jbuilders.com

You see we want to bring education to highly impoverished countries, but why stop there?  Why not educate the youth of the U.S. as well?  We’ve begun a new program in which we go to schools or youth groups and teach the students about the developing world and the importance of giving back.  It’s all very exciting stuff!

A student at Presentation High School in San Jose was so moved by our story she has started a book drive to send the books to our little library in Ghana.  Amazing!  We decided we not only want to bring education to developing countries, but we want to inspire the youth of the U.S. to do more.  We help them facilitate their own fundraiser, something they own from conception all the way through to the finish. The students develop a sense of pride in their accomplishments as well as learning about the importance of giving to those less fortunate than themselves. It’s a win win!

If you know of any youth groups or high schools who would like to participate in a project like this, please keep us in mind!

Our Articles of Incorporation are filed, woohoo! Look at us, getting stuff done.  Not only that, but we have finished our 501c3 application and are just in the process of raising the $800 filing fee.  Don’t you worry, we will be keeping you all updated with our latest fundraiser events.

This is a momentous occasion!  Feel free to toast to us tonight.

Cheers!

Give (giv) v.: to place in the hands of, pass; to place in someone’s care

Our children’s future is in your hands. Wear this necklace as a reminder to give. Give your love. Give your peace. Give your joy. Give your laughter. Just Give!

“Mankind owes to the child the best it has to give.” Declaration of the U.N.

100% of the proceeds go directly to The Maalgo Project, a community run nonprofit in Ghana, West Africa working to bring the gift of education to every child around the globe.

The 14k gold “Give” pendant is $30.00 and is mailed along with this beautiful picture and inspirational words.  Support our cause today!!

Thinking back on the whirlwind that was our trip, I fumble for the words to do it justice.  A great portion of our adventure was spent in the small village community of Vea, home to our library project.  As we lived in the village, ate in the village, walked to school with the children…we simply fell in love.  We happily traded in our nightly TV programs for evenings spent clapping hands in a circle and dancing or listening to the kids teach us Fra-fra (the local language).   The family we stayed with were not only generous and kind, but genuinely open and inviting as well, it exceeded all expectations.  It was a beautifully simple life filled with happiness, the kind that seems so lacking in Western cultures.

Throughout the trip it became clear it was not only this family who were so eager to help, but it seemed to be typically Ghanaian.  Taken by surprise with innumerable random acts of kindness, we quickly learned this is the Ghanaian way.  Typical of any traveller, we found ourselves lost more than once.  What was unique to Ghana, however was that invariably everytime we would stop and ask a local on the street for directions they would completely stop what they were doing to personally show us the way, out of pure kindness.

Our lives over the past month were filled with rare, unadulterated generosity.  For weeks we were fed by strangers, given places to stay, looked after and everyone we encountered was remarkably invested in us having a good time.  It’s a beautiful culture that puts community at the epicenter.  The people are filled with pure happiness and they want to be sure we are as well. And we were.  It was infectious.

Genuine joy is so rare in the U.S., but it seems to be oozing out of every Ghanaian.  It’s strange that as Americans who as a people have been given so much, we don’t take better care of each other. To see a people so happy and so generous with so little is truly inspiring.  And it begs the quesions:

Why, when we have so much, aren’t we doing more? Giving more? Being more helpful? More friendly to strangers? More loving?

I’d like to challenge all of us to give more of ourselves.