What’s Next: Our Bold New Direction for 2025
- obrianshannen
- Apr 10, 2020
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 14
After 17 years of hands-on work in Northern Ghana, we’re entering a new chapter, one that’s more intentional, more scalable, and more focused than ever.
In 2025, Create Change is launching a new suite of programs designed to expand our impact and deepen our purpose. These aren’t just new initiatives, they’re a reflection of everything we’ve learned about what truly changes lives in rural communities.
We’re doing less—but we’re doing it better.
1. A New Foundation: The Create Change Fellowship
At the core of our shift is the Create Change Fellowship, a two-year leadership opportunity for young Ghanaian women, fresh out of university, who are ready to lead. These women aren’t interns or junior staff. They’re ambitious change makers who will run our key programs across the country, supported with intensive coaching, peer mentorship, and funding for a master’s degree when they graduate from the fellowship.
With five junior fellows and five seniors always overlapping, we’re building a structure that supports long-term growth and reduces staff turnover. But most importantly, we’re building a pipeline of bold, capable female leaders who will shape the future of Ghana’s development sector.
2. Expanding Literacy: The Rural Teachers Learning Hub
We’ve spent years running small, high-touch literacy programs, but in 2025, we’re scaling our methods to reach entire schools. Our new Rural Teachers Learning Hub will train teachers already working in underserved areas to bring active, student-centered learning back to their classrooms, and train their peers to do the same.
This year, we’ll begin with 10 schools and 10 teachers, reaching about 2,000 children. It’s a modest start, but a crucial one. The goal is to build the model, and the momentum—to reach 100 schools per year by 2026.
We’ll also introduce coaching, classroom support, and even small incentives (like a “Best Teacher” award and a motorbike for the Teacher of the Year) to ensure teachers feel motivated and proud of their work.
3. Guiding Youth: The Junior High School Mentorship Program
Too many rural youth are left to figure out their futures alone. Their parents often didn’t attend school, and they lack the guidance to envision or plan for a life beyond survival.
Our new JHS Mentorship Program focuses on helping youth, especially girls, create intentional life plans. Year 1 is all about personal development: confidence, body literacy, strengths and challenges. Year 2 focuses on career paths, family planning, and how to move forward, whether through school, farming, or business. And Year 3 will give back, as graduates become mentors for the next group.
We want rural youth to be successful, not by luck, but by choice.
4. Power in Their Hands: The High School Leadership Program
Our High School Leadership Program builds the confidence and voice of young women before they ever reach adulthood. In Year 1, they build self-worth. Year 2 is about goal-setting and career clarity. And in Year 3, they take the lead, designing and delivering sessions to younger students.
The message is clear: leadership isn’t something girls wait for. It’s something they practice, now.
Why This Moment Matters
None of this would be possible without 17 years of trial, learning, and deep relationship-building in the communities we serve. We know what works. We know what doesn’t. And we know where we’re needed most.
Our 2025 numbers won’t be huge, and that’s intentional. We’re using this year to build solid foundations for programs that will scale in 2026 and beyond. What’s bold about this moment is not how many people we’ll reach, but who will be doing the reaching.
For the first time, our programs will be led by young women from Ghana, equipped with the mindset, skills, and structure to lead real change.
This is what your support makes possible.
And we can’t wait to grow this with you.
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