American students form group to aid rural African village

The Yonso Project began unofficially when a group of students from the University of Vermont spent a semester abroad in Ghana.

By: John Dunphy
   While many students spend semesters abroad finding themselves in big cities like London, Paris, or Tokyo, in 2005 a group of friends at the University of Vermont decided they would go somewhere off the beaten path — to a small village in Ghana.
   And with that decision, the Yonso Project was born.
   Today, the nonprofit, based in Plainfield, Vt., is continuing to collect donations and organize programs to implement within this diminutive west African village.
   It all started with what Nick Caccavo, the organization’s president, saw when he’d arrived in Yonso — a brand-new library, with not a single book.
   "The year I graduated, a good friend of mine (Nick Caccavo) studied abroad in Ghana. While he was there, he went to Yonso," said Sam Dupre, of Federal City Road, a 2005 University of Vermont graduate. "There, he and some other people met (Kwabena) Danso, a resident there, who was the head of the Yonso Students Union. He told them how bad the educational system was out there and showed them the library they’d built with no books."
   When Mr. Caccavo returned from the semester abroad, he mobilized his friends. "It just started as a really small scale book collection," said Mr. Caccavo, 22, of Plainfield, Vt., and recently of Boston, Mass. "It was just me and a few friends who wanted to help stock this library."
   Since then, the Yonso Project, which gained its name last year after too many people asked, "Who are you guys? Who is it that wants these books?" has collected 7,000 books to stock the Yonso library.
   "By the time we’d got the books shipped last summer, we had this whole organization built," Mr. Caccavo said. "From there we decided, ‘Hey, it’d be a shame to just drop everything.’"
   The group met in October to decide where it would go from there. The fledgling organization now has several projects either implemented or being planned, based on each member’s skills and desire to better another part of the world.
   "We want to improve Yonso schools," said Mr. Dupre, 23, the project’s director of ecological affairs. He said a major problem in places like Ghana is that rural villages such as Yonso offer little incentive for people to make a career there, causing good teachers to go to the bigger cities.
   Through the funding of projects such as building a teachers quarters, Yonso Project members and their Yonso Students Union affiliate hope to keep those teachers. Other projects in the pipeline include offering "microloans," of $100 or less, to people such as women looking to start a business in Yonso. Also, the Yonso Project-sponsored International Penpal Program connects students in Vermont and Massachusetts with youth in Yonso.
   Mr. Dupre intends to use his animal sciences degree toward establishing an eco-tourism industry in Yonso. "My personal project is a primate refuge. We’re looking for a way to get off of relying on grants and donations. The village has given us 40 hectares of land. In this, mona monkeys have been pretty much hunted to extinction. We’ve hired local hunters to serve as guides, so instead of hunting monkeys, they can make their living as eco-tourists."
   "We’re not looking for sponsorships, we’re looking to create a sustainable business," Mr. Dupre added.
   Still, with the Yonso Project barely two years old, the group, which now boasts about 30 members, still relies heavily on donations. The organization remains a labor of love, with members working other jobs to make a living. Expenses, such as the organization’s planned return to Yonso this summer, come completely from members pockets.
   For Mr. Dupre, that’s just fine. "I’m a big old hippie," he laughed. "I think we’re doing bad things to this planet. To help these villagers while also populating this monkey species … I don’t know, I just love the idea."
   Mr. Caccavo, who graduated last year with a degree in history and political science, said he did not expect to be doing what he is doing today with the Yonso Project. "It makes you feel good to do this stuff," he said.
   "The plan is for the Yonso Project to grow, to increase its funding base and scope of programs," he added. "But, also, the real purpose is not to accomplish any one specific goal, but to be a medium for its members to accomplish any goals they set forth."
   Whatever capacity he might be involved in, Mr. Caccavo said, he’ll be with the Yonso Project for the foreseeable future. "However I’m involved, I’m sure I’ll stay involved long term," he said.
   For more information about the Yonso Project, visit www.yonsoproject.org.