See exactly how your donation becomes a self-reliant future
SREF pairs every gift with a documented plan, a dedicated mentor, and a clear path to a skill, a credential, or a business. This page walks through precisely where every dollar goes — from your gift to a graduate.
At a glance
What your gift buys
SREF is intentionally lean. Four out of every five dollars go straight into laptops, internet, tuition and mentorship.
Laptops, internet access, school supplies, tuition support and one-to-one mentorship.
Registered in the United States, Ghana and Tanzania.
Mentoring, skills development, and online education.
SREF is a U.S.-registered 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 33-3224010). Gifts are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by U.S. law.
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The challenge
Talent isn't the gap. Access is.
Across Accra, Kasoa and the surrounding communities we serve, young adults aged 16–30 have ambition and ability — but not the structure, tools, or guidance to turn either into a livelihood.
- Many prospective students have no laptop or stable internet to continue online schooling.
- Graduates struggle to find work because they can't articulate their skills or reach a professional network.
- Some cannot type or read well enough to participate in online higher education at all.
- Others cannot afford to attend school and provide for their families at the same time.
Where your dollar goes
80% of every gift funds direct services. No guesswork.
This split applies across every SREF programme. Gifts flow from the Board of Trustees to the in-country Financial Team in Ghana, then to the Operations Team that delivers services directly.
- 80% Direct program services
- 10% Program administration
- 10% Field operations
Direct program services
- Laptops (avg. $300 each)
- Internet access ($21/month)
- School supplies
- Debit card setup
- Transportation support
- Tuition payment support
- One-to-one mentorship
Program administration
- Financial management
- Program coordination
- Monitoring & evaluation
- Donor communications
- Compliance & reporting
- Technology & software
Field operations
- Transportation & outreach
- Beneficiary home visits
- Laptop delivery & logistics
- Community engagement
- Stakeholder meetings
- Partner development
The real numbers
What it costs to walk with one student for three years
These figures come directly from the programme budget for the Online Education pillar — the fullest picture of a single beneficiary's journey from laptop to graduation.
Less than $1 a day carries one student from their first laptop to a completed credential.
Laptop ($300), internet ($21/mo), supplies ($19), debit card setup ($5), transport ($15).
Internet, debit card, and exercise books once the device is in hand.
Prefer to sponsor a whole journey rather than a single year? Our donor relations team will set that up with you.
Sponsor a studentThe donation journey
Follow your gift, step by step
Every dollar passes through the same accountable chain before it reaches a beneficiary — overseen by the U.S. Board of Trustees and executed by the Ghanaian in-country team.
- Step 1 Donors Your gift arrives by card, bank transfer, mobile money or check.
- Step 2 Board of Trustees Volunteer U.S. board approves allocation and holds fiscal oversight.
- Step 3 Financial Team, Ghana In-country finance disburses against the approved programme budget.
- Step 4 Operations Team, Ghana Delivers laptops, tuition, training and mentoring on the ground.
- Result A self-reliant individual A credential, a skill, or a business — and a documented plan behind it.
Education track
Laptop → internet access → school supplies → tuition support → completed credential.
Skills & employment track
Networking with potential employers → transportation costs → interview and résumé coaching.
The impact we track
Outcomes we measure — not just sessions held
SREF measures success on results: goals set, plans followed, and futures changed.
Increase in beneficiaries' ability to know and articulate what they are good at.
Increase among unemployed individuals who come to SREF.
Increase in Ghanaian secondary students with a desire to start their own business.
Longer term we track three things: more graduates choosing to build their future in Ghana, higher income among those running their own businesses, and more sustainable employment among secondary-education graduates.
Read our reports
Accountability & governance
Local delivery. U.S. oversight.
SREF pairs a volunteer U.S. Board of Trustees with a Ghanaian in-country team, so every gift is governed with fiscal discipline and delivered with local context.
- Board of Trustees — volunteer, U.S.-based, holds fiscal oversight.
- Executive Director, Ghana — accountable for programme delivery.
- Operations, Finance and Communications managers — coordination and M&E, donor relations and accounting, outreach.
- 501(c)(3) public charity, EIN 33-3224010 — contributions are deductible; the IRS determination letter is available on request.
Ways to partner
Choose how you'd like to be part of this
Give once, sponsor a student's full journey, or donate equipment and expertise. Every gift is tracked and every dollar accounted for.