Today, we’d like to introduce you to Tonja Rice.
Hi Tonja, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
My journey in the nonprofit sector began over ten years ago, but my journey to establish Helping Other People Excel for Tomorrow Inc. (H.O.P.E. for Tomorrow) started with dreams of sponsoring school lunches for underprivileged children and distributing meals to the homeless.
I have always enjoyed finding ways to help and serve others. Before graduating from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, I decided to join the Peace Corps. However, before embarking on my Peace Corps adventure, I volunteered in Ghana for a month as an English volunteer. I believe what I experienced in Ghana completely changed the trajectory of my life.
I arrived in Ghana for the first time in 2010, staying in the community of Dwabor in the Western Region. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, I had no idea what to expect, but I was greeted warmly by my host family and the community.
There are no words to describe what my time with the community and the children I worked with did for me. Seeing the smiles of people despite the obstacles they were facing was eye-opening. After returning from Ghana, I was off to Tanzania four months later. The hands-on experience I received in the Peace Corps was invaluable. The experience solidified my interest in doing nonprofit work and provided me with the opportunity to work in public health.
Sadly, I returned home from Tanzania early. While at home, I decided to attend the University of Maryland College Park to pursue a Master’s in Public Health. After graduating in 2016, I entered the workforce, but in 2019, I knew I was ready to return to Tanzania as a volunteer. I could not get enough information on the continent of Africa. Before the end of 2019, I applied to volunteer in Ghana again. From 2010 – 2014, I stayed in contact with my Ghanaian host family, but I lost their contact information.
One day, after stumbling across an old email with their information, I contacted my host family to let them know that I was returning to volunteer in Ghana for a week in 2020 and wanted to stay with them for a few days. They said that I could stay for as long as I wanted to. While with my host family, I learned that they opened the Hour of Grace Educational Complex. The school needed supplies, building materials, and a bus to transport students from ten communities. Donors were able to help the school as much as possible.
The Covid-19 pandemic couldn’t stop me from traveling. I had to get back to Ghana, so in 2021, through another program, I interned at FOCOS Hospital for three months as a health educator. While there, someone I usually fundraise with contacted me, stating that they, and two other people, were led to sow into any project that was on my heart to do. I was speechless and had no idea what to do at first, but then I remembered the dreams that I once had of sponsoring lunches abroad and feeding the homeless. I registered H.O.P.E. for Tomorrow, and the nonprofit was birthed.
In 2023, H.O.P.E. for Tomorrow formally began to help the homeless in our local communities. With the resources we currently have, we distribute meals and partner with local organizations to supply unhoused and underserved communities with toiletries, sanitary pads, blankets, jackets, clothes, and other necessities.
Although we have just begun, since the start of H.O.P.E. for Tomorrow, donors have helped sponsor more than 89,000 lunches, feed more than 900 people, and serve 360 homeless people in Ghana, Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
Starting a nonprofit was never on my radar. I love working behind the scenes unseen, finding out what the needs of others are. Nonetheless, every opportunity I have taken has led me to where I am today.
We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
In middle school, I remember learning Langston Hughes’s poem “Mother to Son.”
I learned early on that life is not a crystal staircase. I have certainly experienced highs, successes, and triumphs, but also lows, bumps, and bruises. As with any nonprofit, my challenge has been the funding. The economy has taken a hit, and many people are feeling its ripple effects.
However, no matter what, I remain faithful, hopeful, and reminded of the reason why I do the work that I do. I have learned to trust God in the process, knowing that I am only managing His vision for H.O.P.E. for Tomorrow. Knowing that seeing the smiles of the people we can help and hearing their stories helps me to continue to move forward.
As you know, we’re big fans of Helping Other People Excel for Tomorrow Inc. What can you tell our readers who might not be as familiar with the brand?
H.O.P.E. for Tomorrow envisions a world where children have access to adequate education and nutrition, and women and communities have access to basic human needs. Although most of our current work is in Ghana, we have branched out to serve those in America. Our goal is to be able to fill in the gap to serve the needs of those unseen and unheard in communities around the world.
We are currently working towards starting a sustainable lunch program at Hour of Grace Educational Complex in Ghana while we simultaneously work towards establishing food programs in America. We want to make a difference by feeding people one meal at a time, helping communities access healthcare and health information, improving access to potable water, and eventually improving school infrastructure in disadvantaged communities.
While H.O.P.E. for Tomorrow is only a little over two and a half years, donors have helped make an impact in the lives of more than 900 people in Ghana and America. Hour of Grace Educational Complex has not only been the beneficiary of the school lunch program, but we have also helped them obtain portable drinking water, a school bus, a laptop, and building supplies.
We are working hard towards creating a school garden and poultry farm to aid in program sustainability. And we are also seeking funding to serve those in America.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Until recently, I realized that I had a skewed definition of what success is. I had always thought that success meant having a 9-5, a nice car, and a house with a picket fence, the American Dream.
However, living a life of service pretty much means that your life may look a little unorthodox. I’m learning that success really is walking out God’s will for my life. Success is using my gifts and talents to help someone else. We are all on our journey and our path, and success looks different for everyone.
Pricing:
- $7 provides 1-month of lunches for a student at Hour of Grace Educational Complex
- $10 can provide a homeless person with a meal and toiletries
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/ - Youtube: https://www.youtube.
com/channel/ UCPp5uxmR4V5vk1fPh1jojBg
Image Credits
Hour of Grace Educational Complex by Bright Kwesi Mensah
