Teach on Beach is currently 100% non-profit volunteer organization in Ghana, Africa. The organization provides education, love and basic necessities of life, food, clothing and shelter to those students that are in need. TOB international is a team of like-minded individuals with a common goal of equal education for all. We believe in empowering and inspiring youth in developing countries through education and cultural exchange
Brief History
In 2004 Aaron Adler and Alison Hannon met during a study abroad in Ghana. They shared a taste for adventure and need to get off campus and experience the West African country firsthand and meet its people, but their program didn’t offer them any opportunities to get off the beaten path.
Just before they met, Alison had been invited by an organization called Madanfopa, ‘my good friend’ in Twi, to teach in a tiny little after school classroom. She braved a trek into the unknown slum of Madina, down dirt roads lined with shacks and trash, to find a group of children that had a real thirst for learning. She offered to bring Aaron with her, there were so many children and no one to teach them. Aaron accepted the chance to venture into the real Africa.
Aaron and Ali bonded with a group of children from Madina and continued to teach them during their study abroad. While their study abroad would end, the two decided to return to Ghana, coordinating it so one of them, or someone else they had recruited to help teach, would be around to continue working with the children from Madina.
In 2007 Aaron found a charitable organization to fund and expand their work. With the invaluable help of Mike Wagner, Aaron managed the construction of an orphanage/community center and a school north of Kumasi, Ghana’s second city. Aaron and Ali invited the students they taught in Madina to join them in Kumasi and for two years they all worked as a team to teach many more children. After school programs with junior high schoolers teaching primary students and our very successful NewsHour program were started during these two years.
Unfortunately, after two years with this organization’s funding, it was inexplicable torn away from Aaron, Ali, Mike and the over 20 students to whom they extended scholarships and nurtured 24/7 like parents. Aankit Patel had joined the group as a volunteer as this happened. Together the team moved into Habitat for Humanity houses and continued running teaching programs in partnership with the local school, funding the student scholarships and other operations out of their own pockets.
However due to the Ebola outbreak in 2014, the organization suffered a major setback in running and sustaining itself. A lot of challenges were faced by the organization both internally and externally. The team and trained scholars have never given up their hope or vision of the organization. Their love for their people continues to grow and so does the reputation of Teach on the Beach! We are proud to say it is one of the top 10 places to volunteer in Ghana!