Angela Dwamena-Aboagye

Founder/Director of the Ark Foundation

Angela is the Executive Director of the Ark Foundation, which she founded in 1994. The foundation is a non-governmental organization that promotes the "total liberation of women and children from all systems, laws, traditions and practices which violate their right to human dignity and development.” Through the foundation, Angela established the first shelter for victims of gender-based violence in Ghana in 2000, as well as a Legal and Counseling Center that provides services for victims of gender-based violence. She has been a vocal advocate for women's rights and has been instrumental in the formation of a number of women's rights and advocacy networks in Ghana.

Nana Abena Akrasi

Founder of the Young Women Empowerment Initiative

As an undergraduate at the Institute of Professional Studies in Ghana, Nana founded the Young Women Empowerment Initiative (YWEI). Through YWEI, she developed and produced a series of mini documentaries which earned a weekly spot on national television. The documentaries addressed various women's issues, ranging from domestic violence to the role of women in Ghana's independence movement. She went on to organize a project to train 64 single mothers in Ghana's Brong Ahafo region in the cultivation and commercial uses of soya beans, along with local business management and development. The project recently received a competitive award granted by the National Union of Ghanaian Students.

Deborah Ahenkorah

Founder/Director of the Golden Baobab Prize

Growing up in Ghana, Deborah developed a love for reading that stayed with her into her adult life. As an undergraduate at Bryn Mawr College, she founded Project Educate in Africa to raise funds for educational initiatives and collect books for libraries in Africa. Though the project proved highly successful, Deborah was distressed by the lack of African youth fiction and the underrepresentation of African authors. Upon graduating, she established the Golden Baobab Prize - an annual African literary award that aims to encourage the creation of African literature for young readers and connect outstanding African story writers with publishers around the world. To learn more about the project, visit www.goldenbaobab.org.

Dana Dakin

Founder of Womens Trust

Based on the adage that life is lived in thirds - the first third you learn, the second you earn, and the third you return - Dana decided to start her own microfinance program at the age of 60, after having established a successful career in the financial world. She focused her efforts on a small Ghanaian village called Pokuase, working primarily with women and girls. "All social indicators are positively impacted when you help women to help themselves," she writes, "their families and their communities are the beneficiaries." Womens Trust, the result of Dana's efforts, has proved remarkably successful. She has extended her operations to include education and health care initiatives. Learn more about Womens Trust here!