Spotlight Series: How Akwaaba Volunteers is Helping Children in Ghana Build a Brighter Future
For many children, the opportunity to go to school, play sport, access healthcare or learn a skill for the future can feel like something that is simply guaranteed. For children growing up in disadvantaged communities in Accra, Ghana, it isn't always like that. This is where Akwaaba Volunteers comes in.
Founded in Ghana with a simple belief that every child deserves the opportunity to reach their potential, Akwaaba works alongside children, families and schools in the Labadi and Tse Addo communities of Accra. Its work focuses on four key areas: Education, Sports, Vocational Skills and Healthcare.
We are pleased to spotlight their work here but sometimes GoodFX's connection to a cause isn't just institutional, it's personal.
Helen Mackenzie, who leads Invoice Finance at GoodFX, first visited Akwaaba Volunteers in Ghana eight years ago. That long-standing, hands-on relationship has now grown into something more formal: Helen has become a Trustee of Akwaaba Volunteers, taking on direct responsibility for helping guide the charity's future.
With her encouragement we shine a light here on their work.
The Problem: Opportunity Isn't Equal
Growing up in a disadvantaged community can create barriers that go far beyond the classroom.
A child may be attending school but struggling to keep up because they don't have the books or support they need. Another might have huge potential in sport but nowhere safe to train. A young woman may leave school without the skills or opportunities needed to find meaningful employment.
Akwaaba believes that these circumstances should not determine a child's future.
Rather than focusing on one particular problem, the charity takes a holistic approach – supporting children throughout their development and creating opportunities both inside and outside the classroom.
The Solution: More Than Just Education
At the heart of Akwaaba's work is education. The charity supports children through scholarships, school supplies, breakfast and transport, while also running an intervention programme for children who have never attended school or have fallen significantly behind their peers.
Akwaaba also provides a community library, vocational training and an IT centre, helping children develop skills that will become increasingly important as they move into further education and employment.
But learning doesn't stop at the school gates.
Through its sports programme, hundreds of children take part in football, netball, swimming and dance. Sport provides more than exercise – it creates teamwork, discipline, confidence and a safe space for children to spend their time.
For older children and young adults, Akwaaba also provides vocational opportunities through its sewing centre, hair salon, barbering shop and IT centre.
The aim is not simply to support children today, but to help them become independent young adults with the skills and confidence to shape their own futures.
Benedicta's Story: From Survival to Opportunity
When Akwaaba first met Benedicta, she had been involved in an accident and had been left without the treatment she needed.
It was 2019, and Benedicta's situation became the inspiration behind Akwaaba's very first fundraiser. The money raised helped provide the treatment she needed for her scoliosis, marking the beginning of Akwaaba's journey alongside Benedicta and her family.
But we knew that medical treatment was only the beginning.
Benedicta and five of her siblings were subsequently enrolled in education through Akwaaba. When she first joined, Benedicta couldn't read at all.
She became part of Akwaaba's intervention class, a small programme designed to support children who have fallen behind in education and help them build the confidence and skills they need to succeed.
Today, Benedicta has developed a completely different relationship with learning. She loves books and reading, something that once felt completely out of reach. And her education is not limited to the classroom.
Benedicta takes part in Akwaaba's after-school sports programme, where she particularly enjoys netball, dancing and running. Sport has given her another space to develop confidence, discipline and friendships, while encouraging her to discover what she is capable of.
At weekends, Benedicta is also learning hairdressing, developing a practical skill that could one day help her earn an income and support herself and her family.
Her story represents what Akwaaba is trying to achieve.
It isn't about solving one problem and walking away. It's about looking at the whole child – their health, education, confidence, talents and future – and giving them opportunities at every stage.
For Benedicta, education could change not only her own future, but the future of her entire family.
And that is why we believe education is one of the most powerful investments we can make.
The Impact: Creating Opportunities Every Day
Akwaaba's projects reach hundreds of children across the community every week. The charity supports children through:
Education: scholarships, school support, an intervention class, a community library and IT education.
Sports: football, netball, swimming and dance, providing hundreds of children with regular activities and opportunities to compete.
Vocational Skills: training through sewing, hairdressing, barbering and IT.
Healthcare: support including health insurance, health checks, dental care, glasses and menstrual health products.
But the numbers only tell part of the story.
The real impact can be seen in a child confidently reading their first book, a football team celebrating their first tournament win, a girl discovering that she can be a leader on the netball court, or a young person learning a skill that could eventually provide them with a livelihood.
Looking Ahead: Ten Years and Just Getting Started
In 2026, Akwaaba Volunteers celebrates 10 years of working with children and communities in Ghana.
What started as a small organisation has grown into a network of projects supporting children across education, sport, healthcare and vocational development.
But the ambition is much bigger than the first ten years.
Akwaaba wants to continue developing its existing projects, reach more children and create more pathways for young people to progress from education into employment.
The long-term vision is simple: a future where a child's circumstances do not determine their opportunities.
How GoodFX Supports Akwaaba
GoodFX's support helps shine a light on organisations like Akwaaba and the work happening every day on the ground.
For a small charity, awareness can be just as valuable as funding. Connecting Akwaaba with businesses, individuals and potential partners creates opportunities to build the organisation and reach even more children.
A Personal Commitment: From Supporter to Trustee
Helen's involvement has included returning several times since to volunteer directly with the projects and see the charity's work first-hand, and she has just returned from Trekking the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu in Peru with them helping raise valuable funds and she's already looking forward to her next visit in February 2027.
It's a reminder that GoodFX's support for causes like Akwaaba isn't just a company policy – it's something the people behind the business believe in enough to give their own time, their own visits to Ghana, and now their own governance responsibility, to.
That's what “living our values” looks like in practice: not just writing a cheque, but showing up, year after year, until showing up turns into stepping up.
How You Can Help
There are lots of ways to support Akwaaba's work. You can:
Sponsor a child, helping provide consistent educational support throughout the year.
Donate towards education, sports, healthcare or vocational projects.
Fundraise for Akwaaba through an event, challenge or personal campaign.
Volunteer in Ghana and contribute your skills and time directly to the projects.
Partner with Akwaaba as a business or organisation to support a specific project or group of children.
Every contribution helps create another opportunity for a child.
Because sometimes changing a child's future doesn't start with something enormous.
It starts with a book.
A football.
A school uniform.
A computer.
A coach who believes in them.
Or simply someone giving them the opportunity to discover what they are capable of.
To find out more or get involved, contact Jordan at Akwaaba Volunteers: jordan@akwaabavolunteers.org.uk