Ghana Mission 2019, Hopeworks
2019
In 2019, our team traveled to Ghana with a mission to raise community awareness, train professionals, and support Twin City Special School. What began as a service trip became a transformative experience that shaped the heart of our nonprofit.
In many parts of Ghana, autism is still widely misunderstood, and one of the most harmful misconceptions is the belief that autism is connected to witchcraft or spiritual wrongdoing. This misunderstanding can lead to stigma, fear, and social isolation for autistic children and their families. Because of this, education and advocacy were not just helpful; they were essential. Our goal was to replace fear with understanding and to empower communities with accurate, compassionate knowledge about autism.
We spent our first days going into local communities, speaking directly with families and neighbors about autism and breaking down these long-standing misconceptions. We visited high schools, encouraging students to consider future careers in supporting autistic children, and we met with faith communities across the country to help church members better understand and welcome autistic individuals.
While in Accra, we held a professional training that brought together more than 200 educators and practitioners. Our focus was supporting academic learning for autistic children, and the energy, curiosity, and commitment from participants reminded us of the powerful passion that exists within Ghana’s professional community when given the tools and opportunity to learn.
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From Accra, we traveled to Sekondi-Takoradi where we partnered with Twin City Special School, a residential school serving 35 autistic children. At the time, the school did not have basic supplies, training, or curriculum to meet the needs of its students. Some children did not even have shoes. Others were confined to chairs because staff did not yet have the knowledge or resources to support them safely during the school day.
We brought school supplies, academic curriculum, and hands-on training. We taught staff how to group students in small, supportive learning environments and how to build lessons around each child’s strengths. One child in particular touched our hearts in a profound way, a boy who communicated in a way that was completely unique and not understood by the staff. They felt disconnected from him and unsure of how to reach him. We showed them how to engage through play, shared joy, and nonverbal communication, reminding everyone that connection is possible even without shared language.
During our time there, we conducted additional trainings for teachers across the region who were eager to learn and committed to creating better experiences for autistic students. The resilience and dedication we witnessed were deeply moving.
Beyond the work, Ghana embraced us with its incredible culture, warm people, and breathtaking landscapes. The beauty of the country, paired with the strength of the communities we met, left an imprint on us. We returned home humbled by the lack of resources in underserved communities, but inspired by the determination of educators and families doing their best with what they had.
Our partnership with Twin City Special School helped launch their first autism unit, which is still running today. The school continues to grow in their knowledge, their confidence, and their commitment to supporting autistic children through connection-based strategies.
We left Ghana changed, and we had to plan another trip in the future because the work matters, the progress is real, and the relationships we built are the heart of our mission.