In places where trauma is common and resources are scarce, the most powerful intervention isn’t always a program — it’s a person.
In Accra, Ghana, and Chicago, Illinois, EJWF’s Hearts & Minds Mentorship Initiative pairs youth with trained adult mentors — not just to guide, but to witness.
These mentors are not volunteers in name only. They are:
- Former students who overcame similar struggles
- Nurses, engineers, and social workers who give 5 hours a month — no pay, just presence
- Trained in trauma-informed care, active listening, and resilience-building
Each mentee receives:
🔹 Weekly 1:1 check-ins (in person or via low-data video)
🔹 Monthly skill-building workshops (financial literacy, public speaking, mental wellness)
🔹 A “Hope Journal” to track growth, dreams, and setbacks
The results? Beyond metrics — they’re transformative.
✅ 78% of mentees reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression within 4 months
✅ 91% improved school attendance
✅ 89% identified at least one trusted adult for the first time in their lives
In Accra, 16-year-old Ama, who lost her parents to illness and lived with her aunt in a crowded compound, wrote in her journal:
“My mentor didn’t fix my life. But she sat with me when I cried. That’s the first time anyone did.”
In Chicago, Marcus, a high school junior who had been suspended three times, now leads a peer circle on emotional resilience.
“They didn’t tell me to change. They asked me who I wanted to be. And I started believing it.”
This is not charity.
This is relational justice.
Mentorship doesn’t cost millions. But it changes everything.
We’re training 200 new mentors in 2025 — in Ghana, Chicago, and beyond.
But we need your help to fund training, materials, and transportation so no mentor is left behind.
📌 Become a Mentor. Support a Mentor. Donate Today.
👉 https://ejwf.us/mentor
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