Our hardworking Amplio Ghana team travels THOUSANDS of miles to serve extremely hard-to-reach rural and remote communities. Mostly they go on motorbikes, but we have a 125km limit.
Each year, our hard-working Amplio Ghana team travels thousands of miles—to be precise, kilometers—to serve extremely hard-to-reach rural communities. They deliver Amplio Talking Book devices, conduct training, deliver life-enhancing education, facilitate learning and discussion, conduct research and field surveys, and more.
Mostly they travel by motorbike. But there's a limit.
That's right: Our country director Gumah Tiah said Amplio Ghana's safety and security policy limits motorbike travel to 125 kilometers per day.
Here's why:
Some communities are simply too far to easily reach by bike, especially when you are transporting equipment—like a bike load of Amplio Talking Book devices.
In other areas, a truck is needed due to crime.
Areas near the northern border in the Upper East and Upper West regions often see higher criminal activity and violence. Sadly, there is a heightened risk of terrorist attacks due to jihadist groups in the Sahel. "In these areas, traveling by truck or SUV is better, although it's not a complete guarantee of safety," Gumah said.
Communications officer Anike Amao discusses our Go The Extra Mile campaign.
As programs and partnerships continue to expand, our Ghana team is stretched. They need to hire more staff to implement programs and work with communities, which means they also need more bikes and safety gear. And they really need a truck.
Gumah said Amplio Ghana currently owns "one and a half trucks."
Half a truck?
You may be familiar with this type of vehicle—my mom owns one. It's a 1980s Toyota that she uses for hauling loads of yard waste to the dump, but can't take on the highway. Because it might break down.
"It's a constant challenge to coordinate who is going where and who gets the truck, and when. We have projects in different regions, our programs are growing, and we also need to travel to meet and strategize with partners," Gumah shared.
Last year, Amplio Ghana operated across 20 districts in five regions. Together with our partners and donors, they helped over 200,000 people gain new skills and knowledge to improve sustainable agriculture and food security, maternal and child health, women's livelihoods, and more.
But they have miles more to go.
We are incredibly proud of our Ghana team and want to position them for success.
Campaign Update
8/10/2023 - Thanks to generous donor support, our Go The Extra Mile campaign raised $40,887 in July. Funds raised will help Amplio Ghana build its capacity and strengthen operations, enabling our team to scale its reach, share knowledge, and transform more lives and opportunities.
Thank you to everyone who participated and made a gift to help us go the extra mile in Ghana and celebrate our founder Cliff Schmidt's amazing vision and legacy.
To learn more about Amplio's impact, view our Annual Report.