What we do
Programme & Projects
Programme & Projects
Recent Projects
Leap into Life Foundation aims to enable local communities to make a living in ways that respect their needs, habits and traditions. In close cooperation we create a sustainable and independent local economy where the collectively achieved benefits are equally fair shared among its contributors.
Invited by representatives of the Dagomba tribe in Ghana Northern Region we are looking for ways to preserve valuable elements of traditional life. Dagoma tradition holds certain values about society, community and ownership that seem to be quite contrary to those common in a global society. At the same time we see a growing number of people in many different cultures across the globe struggle with globalization and identity.
Our work with people from the Dagomba tribe is not about ‘helping them’; it is about finding new pathways by working together and learning from opposite views and from tensions arising. Relationship is a key principle in everything we do; relationship with Earth, relationship with our ancestors and future generations, relationship with each other and relationship with Self.
Our relationship with the Dagomba is not temporal, based on projects; it is a continuous process based on interconnectedness. The projects we work on aim to create life conditions for traditional people becoming economically more resilient without losing traditional values of relationship and community. We stimulate local entrepreneurship that is in alignment with Dagomba tradition.
One of the Dagomba leaders once expressed: “We don’t need people who come here to tell us what we need to do or how we need to do it. We need people who can relate with us and join us to do what our tradition tells us we should be doing for our people and communities”.
Local people often know what works best and what doesn’t work to resolve issues they are facing. We work with projects that are initiated by local communities, often ordinary people like you and me. Our belief is that a solution is more sustainable when it comes from within. What we bring is a perspective and network from outside as an add-on to broaden perspective (not to replace it). The purpose is for the communities to become more impactful and more resilient. We define success as the amount of people we have touched to act and the amount of families that benefit from those actions.
Buy a Brick
September 2017 - September 2019
We have established a stable and growing source of income in traditional handcraft of Sheabutter for Dipaliya Womens Association. Buy a Brick is a project to finance and build an organic certified Sheabutter production center in Sakuba village.
Future Projects
Share with a Sister
Start project not specified yet
Working within the tradition of the Chieftancy we are preparing a project called “Share with a Sister”. To expand the first experiences we have gained with the chiefs and communities we are working with and to expand the amount acres for organic farming, owned by the communites.
On a small and experiential scale we started with organic farming, reintroducing original local seeds for food crops. We also reintroduce ‘hidden’ traditional knowledge on how make use of local plants and manure as organic pesticides and fertilizers. Working with traditional Chiefs, under protection of the Dagomba king we re-establish the ancient role of Chiefs as preserver the land for future generations. How we work within the Chieftancy and how we collaborate with farmers is unique; reviving ancient ways of communal farming and community bonding.
To expand the first experiences we have gained with the chiefs and communities we are working with and to expand the amount acres for organic farming, owned by the communites. Working within the tradition of the Chieftancy we are preparing a project called “Share with a Sister”.
A woman in Ghana will receive an acre of land, locally sourced organic seeds and Tamale made organic fertilizer/manure for community farming. We apply Action Learning with the field as learning space. Women work together on each other’s fields, learn how to apply the products and take care of the land and learn about crop rotation. The weeding and harvesting is a collaborative effort of the collectively. Crops will be shared according to needs.
The land and material will be financed through a sponsor model acoording to the principles of our Sharing Economy. A sponsor in the West can donate money to share with a sister in Ghana. In return the sponsor will receive a certificate with the name of the woman who has benefit of his/her sharing, the GPS coordinates of the land and the crops planted. Funding is a one-time activity to start off. After initial funding the women can make use of the land and community until she decides to stop.
This project is more complex than Buy a Brick and needs proper preparation and organization both in Ghana and the Netherlands. The preparatory stage will be needing funding and an administrative structure/organization needs to be setup in Ghana.
Are you Nuts?
Start project not specified yet
Our goal is to set up an infrastructure to collect and sell more organic Sheanuts. Several remote communities we are connected with do not have access to any source of income, but do have access to large areas of forest where they can collect organic Sheanuts.
Most Sheanuts collected from the fields are collected from land that is also used for farming. Since most of the farmers do use pesticides on their land, most of the Sheanuts used for Sheabutter making are holding pesticides. However many Sheanuts are not collected because they are in remote areas in the woods. Collecting Sheanuts from there is labor intensive and sometimes dangerous.
For reasons above there is a scarcity of organic Sheanuts. The demand however is much larger than can be provided in and increasing. Several remote communities we are connected with do not have access to any source of income, but do have access to large areas of forest where they can collect Sheanuts. They have requested us to help them setting up an infrastructure to collect and sell Sheanuts in order to give them access to some earnings.
First step to take in this project is to do a field research on areas that can be qualified for Sheanut collection. The study includes conditions and practicalities to have the areas certified as qualified areas for collection of organic certified Sheanuts.
Collecting and Producing Organic Pesticides / Fertilizers
Start project not specified yet
The longer term objective is to create a self-sustaining local economy with our communities to make and sell the products themselves. First in the regional markets, to expand to international markets.
The organic pesticides and manure we have been using in the experiential stage of organic community farming and are using in the “Share with a Sister” project are Tamale and Ghana made. However we currently purchase those products from an international trader.
The materials we use are literally lying on the ground. Every individual with a brush and a bowl can already receive direct cash money bringing a bowl of the materials. It will be weight and paid on the spot. In collaboration with the trader we are currently buying from we are aiming to setup a local infrastructure for collection of the materials.