Where has GoalGhana come from?

We are Ben Carpenter and Ben Hayman. In February of this year we went to a town called Tamale, in Northern Ghana, to coach some football, teach a few classes and organise a big football gala. We worked with an established local charity called RAINS, working on community projects in and around Tamale with an amazing man called Shaibu.

Shaibu had set up an informal network of football clubs across 3 dispersed communities, which he trained every week. Shaibu’s training sessions had become so popular that he was often getting 50 children turning up to meet their friends, play football and get some formal training from Shaibu.

Although Shaibu’s sessions were well attended, they weren’t well provided for in terms of kit, facilities and fresh water. Pitches were pot-holed and dusty and the children who attended were often very poor, sometimes not in education and living pretty tough lives.

We soon realised that Shaibu’s work also provided a fantastic chance for children to interact with positive adult role models in a structured environment, while feeling valued and most importantly, having fun.

It was an inspiring month and it was obvious that with a bit of cash and support a lot could be done to develop the amazing work already helping to improve the tough lives of so many young people in the Tamale area.

So, back home in London we created GoalGhana and wrote down a few simple words with a wonderful aim –

“GoalGhana exists to help young people in poor areas develop life and sports skills within a safe and positive environment”

And now we’re here, talking to you – our friends, families and colleagues – because without you those words mean nothing.

How it works

We set up GoalGhana as a fundraising organisation, supporting the good work already being undertaken by a local NGO called RAINS. All of the money we raise is put into projects that help kids have fun and develop new skills through football. This site allows you to see how all the money we raise in the UK goes straight into funding projects in Ghana.

Our goals

Our goals and ethos are very simple. Through fundraising in the UK, we want to help kids living tough lives enjoy themselves and have access to adult and peer support. We found that football was such a tremendous platform to do this that we set up GoalGhana.

Ultimately our aim is to support lots of football based projects supporting kids in poor communities. Having experienced the impact it can have first hand, we believe that this is a really worthwhile cause.

See what we’re getting up to both here in the UK and in Ghana. You might see something you want to be part of…

GoalGhana is fully supported by RAINS, an NGO based in Tamale, registered no. 68457. RAINS is registered and recognised by Ghana’s Department of Social Welfare, with vast experience in the areas where GoalGhana funds.
Visit their website for more info – www.rainsgh.org

back to top