In most developed countries we hear about programs such as STEM and how to motivate young girls to be interested in STEM. While I highly recommend and support such programs, I can’t help but think of the children The Bridge Foundation serves. In a world far away, we encounter children dying of starvation, children who have never stepped in a classroom and who can not dare to dream beyond today. Their entire lives are consumed by when they will have their next meal. While most children eat breakfast and head to school, the children in Ramapuram, India, walk several miles to the city to begin their day of begging. They stay out all day walking up and down the street hoping a kind soul will give them money or something to eat. Some of these children are very bright and full of talents that the world may never see. They could have been future scientists, programmers, developers, doctors, engineers, politicians, economists, actors, and writers but alas, many die of starvation, their talents, buried with them. The ones who survive continue to live a life of mediocrity and poverty with the world never meeting or hearing of them.

First, we need programs which will provide basic necessities to such children and give them an education which will introduce them to the world of reading, science, technology and computers. This will allow their young eager minds to soar and begin to dream again. See, the children in the developed world, your children, my children, start out in life with so many opportunities available to them. We tell them they can be anything they want to be and strive to give them every advantage in life. The children we serve in Ghana, India and Uganda do not have the opportunity to do 1% of what our children will get to do. That, my friend, is Social Injustice. The Bridge Foundation wants to be a bridge that these children can cross to arrive at a life filled with opportunities they didn’t even know existed. We want them to also have a choice of whether to pursue STEM, the Arts, Finance, or Economics. We want them to laugh and play as children.  We want them to worry about which book to read first and not when they will eat again.

Ramapuram is an impoverished village in South India where their own government uses their land as a refuse dump. About 80% of the mothers are child brides and almost 100% of them lack a viable employment. They lack basic amenities such as water, electricity among others. They walk about 4 – 6 miles daily to fetch water. Parents and children alike go days without eating. The only employment available is collecting ashes from the refuse dump and selling them for nearly nothing.

The Bridge Foundation is working feverishly to build a bridge for these children through the feeding program we have already started in Ramapuram. We currently feed 26 children twice a day for roughly $650 a month. The parents and grandparents hang around in hopes that there will be leftovers for them to also have. Right now, all we can do is feed them but they have other needs. We are painfully aware that it is not enough and we can’t stop there. The children will need to go to school if they are to have a chance to succeed in life. They need water, access to healthcare, and the adults need a viable source of income. For now the children are content. They don’t have to go begging again nor worry about what they will eat. The Bridge Foundation knows that there is a whole world of opportunities out there for the children to explore but it will start with them getting an education.

The Bridge Foundation will not rest until the bridge has been lowered for all the children to cross over to the other side where literacy, STEM, the Arts, business, sports, good health, and nutritious meals await them. We need your help to make this a reality. Help us with your financial donations and time to beautify this world one tiny corner at a time.

As I sit here and reflect on 2018, I am extremely grateful to our wonderful sponsors, donors and volunteers. Together we were able to touch many lives and fulfill our purpose of connecting the disadvantaged to opportunities.

I am often humbled when I hear the painful stories of some of the families The Bridge Foundation serves. One recent story was that of a father in Ghana whose 10 year old son has suffered multiple strokes as a result of sickle cell anemia disease and seizures. The Bridge Foundation sent him a small donation during Christmas to buy a treat for his family. He used the unexpected gift to fill his son’s much needed prescription. My family and I have been going through a very difficult trial with the health of my son and I am often asked how I continue to smile and have joy. Stories like these help put my own suffering into perspective. My joy comes from knowing I am part of an organization which strives to help so many disadvantaged children. My experience, and I hope yours as well, is summed up in this quote: “Those who are not looking for happiness are the most likely to find it, because those who are searching forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.

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Child Sponsorship Program

The Bridge foundation added 11 new children to our sponsorship program bringing the total number of children in the sponsorship program to 38. Out of these, 25 have sponsors and 13 are awaiting sponsorship. Sponsorship means everything to these children. It means an opportunity to go to school, eat 2 nutritious meals a day and receive medical checkup. They also gain self confidence, a sense of worth and most importantly a deep knowledge that someone, even on the other side of the world, cares deeply about them. Their faces light up when they tell their friends at school about their sponsors. I want that same joy for the 13 children, who even though are in the program and receive an education, meals and medical checkup, do not have a sponsor to tell their friends about. I also want that for the many children who are waiting to join the program. In 2019, our goal is find sponsors for the remaining 13 children and add 37 new children into the program. Click here to watch how Joshua, Raja and Michael’s lives have been transformed through child sponsorship.

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Feeding Program

We started a feeding program back in 2017 in a small impoverished village in South India for severely malnourished children while they awaited sponsors. Most of these children were orphans who made a living begging and digging through trash for plastic bottles and other recyclable materials to sell for mere cents. We are currently feeding 34 children one meal a day at a monthly cost of $700. The program is a matter of life and death for these precious children. While waiting to join the program, 2 siblings lost their lives this past August after eating badly decomposed food from the refuse dump near their village. In 2019, we hope to find sponsors for the children so they can receive 2 meals and an education or enough funding to feed them 2 meals a day. Please watch the video to learn more.

Through Their Eyes Fundraising Gala

The Bridge Fundraising gala held on November 17th in Atlanta was a huge success. We were honored to have so many of you come and support us during our first fundraiser. We are looking forward to our 2019 gala which promises to be bigger and more fun. Stay tuned for more information. Click here to see pictures from that night. Click here to watch video one and video two from the event.

The Bridge Christmas Party

The year would not have been complete without The Bridge Foundation annual Christmas and End of Year party. 90 children in India and 60 in Ghana had an amazing time at the parties. Children in India got to eat chicken briyani, a popular Indian rice dish and one of my favorite dishes, cake and drink juice for the very first time. The children in Ghana, got a visit from Santa, played beach volley ball and participated in a dance offs. They were all smiles. See below for pictures.

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In 2019, I invite you to continue this incredible journey of partnership with us and together we can change lives and brighten a small corner of the world for a child. It doesn’t matter whether you are able to sponsor 1 child or 10 children or whether you can give a large or small donation, what matters most is you cared enough to show up for one child. I end with one f my favorite quotes: “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way”
― Martin Luther King Jr.

Thank you

Sincerely,

Adwoa Adu Acquah

Co-Founder and President

COVID -19 in Ghana

COVID-19, more commonly known as “coronavirus”, has deeply impacted those food insecure in Ghana. On March 24, 2020, the government announced a three-week nationwide lockdown to contain the spread. Their efforts are admirable, and as they’ve worked tirelessly the amount of deaths have proven low.

As of April 9^th, 2020 Africa has experienced 578 deaths. Though, other countries like the United States have been hit much harder, we must do what we can to prevent transmission of the virus. Those most at risk are those we serve. Without tippy taps in homes for hand washing, or food to keep families indoors, a select few struggle.

The schools were closed to prepare for an eminent lockdown earlier last month. This put at-risk families in a particular bind. The feeding program offered by The Bridge Foundation International was delivered outside of the home.

With the new stay-at-home order, we’ve had to creatively adjust our distribution methods. The Bridge Foundation International is delivering food to sponsored children and families. Our resources, however, are being taxed by food increases.

Presently in Ghana “a tuber of yam which [used to go for] GH¢10 was sold for GH¢12” and the prices on other food-stuffs continue to rise. The price increases and panic buying due to fears of a lockdown have made it even more difficult for those who live day to day to purchase food and supplies. Here is where you can help.

We need as little as $10 to provide meals, and our preparations don’t end there. We’ve started a Facebook Fundraiser to provide tippy taps in our student’s home in order to avert the spread of COVID-19. Like us on Facebook, share our fundraiser, and help those most vulnerable today.

COVID-19 in India

On March 24, 2020, the government announced a three-week nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirusin the country. This lockdown, a strong preventative measure put in place by India’s government, inadvertently impacts the nation’s poorest. Without the ability to leave their homes, and no money to stock up on food supplies, serving the most under-privileged has been The Bridge Foundation International’s largest priority.

Not only are those most vulnerable affected, but even those more fortunate are experiencing issues obtaining enough food. Due to the closure of state entry points and tolls across India everyone is experiencing some level of difficulty stocking up. In the face of this global pandemic The Bridge Foundation International is here.

With little access to food and running water those hardest-hit by the lockdown are suffering. We are providing the most assistance we can, but we need your help.

We obtained passes from the police force to deliver a month’s worth of food to our most food-insecure homes on March 28^th, 2020. The joy couldn’t have been more profound. We were able to serve all 45 young-ones in our feeding program, and yet more must be done.

With no accurate projection for a cure, from any nation on the globe in sight, it’s important to ensure they have next month’s food supply. Any amount will help feed the children in the days ahead. Any amount will keep them healthy and provide them with food security.

What we do

Our brave staff in India and Ghana have risked infection themselves to deliver food supplies during lockdown in India and tippy-taps for hand washing in Ghana. This is what we do ladies and gentlemen. This is why we are here.

Though our children’s education may have been halted due to lockdown and concerns over coronavirus we are still here to serve. As a small grassroots organization we are able to fund the feeding program, educate the children, and secure future’s one child at a time. By sponsoring just one child you are sponsoring a future employee, provider, and citizen of India and Africa.

From us at The Bridge to you, our sponsors and donor’s, we thank you. We thank you for being the life-boat in the ocean of uncertainty. Our children have grabbed on to you for help, and you have been a sturdy guiding post. Thank you.