We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tonja Rice. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tonja below.

Tonja, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with talking about how you serve the underserved, because in our view this is one of the most important things the small business community does for society – by serving those who the giant corporations ignore, small business helps create a more inclusive and just world for all of us.

In 2020, I visited the Hour of Grace Educational Complex in the rural Western Region of Ghana. Pastor Michael Nkrumah and his wife, Sarah Nkrumah, started the school years before as there was not an affordable local school for underprivileged students to attend. Although donors were able to help the school get supplies, a bus, and even portable water, there was one issue that many children faced, a need for school lunch, a need for at least one meal during the school day.  Due to financial constraints, many parents were unable to ensure their children could have lunch while attending school. Some parents avoided sending their child(ren) to school altogether because of a lack of resources to provide school lunch. And some children would go a day without having a meal.

By 2023, Helping Other People Excel for Tomorrow Inc. (H.O.P.E. for Tomorrow) was in the position to start sponsoring school lunches at Hour of Grace under our “The Nutrition Initiative” program. The Initiative aims to not only feed students a balanced meal consisting of protein, fruit, starch, and vegetables but also educate communities on nutrition, teach students about agriculture through the development of a school farm, and provide an income-generating project like a poultry farm.

Through our partnership with a Ghanaian nutrition firm, Healthmates Nutrition, we have not only sponsored lunches but have been able to track the health of students at Hour of Grace. Within three months of the start of the initiative in August of 2023, 98% of students gained weight. After 1-year, there are less than 5% of students categorized as malnourished, all of whom are new students. Anemia and micronutrient deficiencies have also been eradicated. School registration also increased by 69% and test scores have improved.

There are so many testimonials from students, parents, teachers, and community members. One girl, Bridget, stated that her mother was not going to allow her to attend school out of fear that her daughter wouldn’t have lunch. Bridget reminded her mother of the school lunch program, and she was able to attend school. Magdalene, an orphan who attends the school, said that her caregiver could only provide peanuts and a couple of doughnuts a day. Now Magdalene can receive at least 5 balanced meals a week. Ms. Rose, a mother of three students, recently transferred her children to Hour of Grace and immediately saw a difference in each child’s academic performance. Students have stated that they are more focused in school. There was even an acutely malnourished kindergartener whose rib cage and backbones were showing before the start of the program. The child has gained a healthy amount of weight.

It has truly been a privilege serving the Hour of Grace Educational Complex. Hundreds of lives have been impacted by the implementation of one initiative. This is only the beginning, and I know there is much more to come and many more underserved communities for H.O.P.E. for Tomorrow to serve across the globe.

Tonja, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have always loved helping, advocating, educating, and serving the needs of others. Throughout the years, I’ve been able to champion humanitarian efforts in Tanzania, Ghana, and in my backyard of Maryland, DC, and Virginia. Some of these efforts include raising money to provide areas with access to water, assisting with securing funding for the building of a primary school, fundraising to provide meals for students, and providing health education to disadvantaged communities.

In 2020, I was ready to begin walking in purpose and followed God’s instruction when He told me to return to Ghana after 10 years to serve and demonstrate His love to others. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, I made my way to Ghana where I volunteered in the Western and Eastern regions as a health educator. While there, God began to give me the foundation of a nonprofit organization to help serve the needs of underserved communities. Seven months later, I returned to Ghana to serve a third time, and this is when God told me it was time to start H.O.P.E. for Tomorrow Inc.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One lesson that I had to unlearn is that all problems are bad. Some “problems” are actually good to have . For instance, within one year of starting The (Zero Hunger) Nutrition Initiative at Hour of Grace Educational Complex, school registration increased by 69%. An increase in students automatically meant an increase in our budget for lunches during the remainder of our time at the school.

Although the cost of school lunch has increased due to the increase of students, and inflation, the good out of this problem is that more students are attending school and all students are receiving one balanced meal a day. Some students weren’t receiving a meal within a day before the Initiative. Last year, after we started sponsoring lunches, an orphaned boy arrived on the doorstep of a community member. He stated that he would just attend Hour of Grace for help. Pastor Michael stated the child started school the following day and was so happy to receive a nice meal.

Life is full of challenges, but it’s important that we change our perspective; focusing on the good in any situation one may consider a problem.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

My career has been full of pivots. I remember being in middle school thinking that I’d be a doctor with a stable life and family, a stable career, but life did not pan out the way I planned. I’m at a point where I’ve come to realize that what I think is best for me isn’t always what God knows is best for me. Life has truly been a rollercoaster of an adventure since the Covid-19 pandemic. I’ve learned to just move with the ebbs and flows of life, stay hopeful, stay faithful, and continue to pursue God’s will for my life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.spreadhopeintl.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopefortomorrowinc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spreadhopeintl/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hopefortomorrowinc/?viewAsMember=true

Image Credits

Photos by H.O.P.E. for Tomorrow Representative in Ghana, Bright “Kwesi” Mensah