“Like growing a flower, growing an organization takes time, patience, and a lot of hard work. Just as a flower needs the right mix of sunlight, water, and nutrients to grow, an organization also needs resources, support, and leadership to thrive. However, unlike a flower, which will eventually wilt and die, an organization can continue to grow and thrive.”, says Mavis, Program Coordinator in Ghana.
Mavis had the brilliant idea of having the Hope for Tomorrow children participate at our ANIDA Day Celebration in Ghana. ANIDA Day is a day the community comes together to acknowledge the importance of the need for collaboration to alleviate poverty. The meaningful event is filled with culture and connection, and most importantly, ANIDA celebrates 25 years this year. She wanted the children to make flowers from tissue paper and sell them on ANIDA Day.
“We want to raise awareness and showcase the history and roots of ANIDA. We want to show the flower that we helped grow for the past 25 years.”, says Mavis while she looks at the children making the flowers.
Mavis loved making flowers out of crafts when she was a young girl. She would spend hours creating bouquets and arrangements out of colorful paper and fabric. Her friends and family would often admire her work and ask her to make flowers for them.
“My aunt taught me how to make these flowers. We had to be creative and use recycled material to make them. I am so glad to pass it on to our children. They loved making the flowers and spent a weekend making them with me.”, says Mavis.
On ANIDA Day, the children also ran a workshop with the participants on how they could make their flowers out of tissue paper. The workshop and the fundraiser were a great success, and we were able to raise money for ANIDA Day.
“We are so excited to be celebrating ANIDA’s 25 years! We have come so far and accomplished so much, and we could not have done it without the support of our community. We are so grateful for your continued support, and we cannot wait to see how our flower will bloom for the next 25 years!” says Mavis.