Ghana & New York · Established 2008
We collect clothing, food, hygiene items and school supplies from donors across the United States and deliver them to families and schools throughout Ghana.
Our mission
Skills & Wills Charity was founded by Vida Owusu in loving memory of her late brother, William Appiagyei Owusu Jr. From donation centers across the United States to villages throughout Ghana, we collect essential goods and place them — with dignity — directly into the hands of families who need them most.
What we collect
Donations are inspected, sorted and manifested before they ever leave the warehouse.
Gently used and new apparel for children, women, and men.
Footwear that protects little feet on long walks to school.
Rice, oil, canned goods and non-perishables for families.
Soap, toothbrushes, sanitary items — dignity in a box.
Notebooks, pens and uniforms so learning never pauses.
Blankets, cookware, and everyday items for the home.
Long-term partnerships with churches and schools.
Rapid response when a family loses everything.
How it works
Supporters across the U.S. drop off or ship gently used goods to our sorting centers.
Volunteers inspect, sort, and pack every item into labeled, manifested shipment boxes.
Containers cross the Atlantic and clear customs at Tema Port with our clearing agent.
Local partner teams place each item directly into the hands of a family that needs it.
Since 2008
Our impact
We publish campaign outcomes with the documents behind them, so supporters can see exactly what their giving moves.
Independently valued, 2022–2025
Tema Port, 2024–2025
Reviewed by Chen & Assoc. CPA, FY2024
Our first full shipping container cleared Tema Port on March 14, 2024 and was distributed over 11 days with partners at Ejisu Presbyterian Church and Kumasi Rotary. Included: 4,200 articles of clothing, 900 pairs of shoes, 1,800 school notebooks and 320 hygiene kits.
Source: Distribution report filed with Ghana NGO Secretariat, April 2024.
Between Sept 2 and Sept 20, 2024 we delivered uniforms, notebooks and pens to seven primary schools across the Bantama sub-metro. Independently verified attendance from partner headmasters showed a 22% drop in first-week absences vs. the prior term.
Source: Attendance data provided by GES Bantama Circuit Supervisor, Oct 2024.
Following a request from Tamale Central Clinic on Jan 8, 2025, we routed 540 pre-packed hygiene kits — soap, sanitary pads, toothbrushes, lotion — from our New York warehouse via existing freight partners. Kits reached three clinics within 72 hours of the funding threshold being met.
Source: Delivery receipts co-signed by Tamale Central Clinic, Jan 11, 2025.
Full financials and distribution logs available on request — EIN pending, Ghana DSW cert. #DSW/RGD/A-2023/0184.
Request our impact reportCurrent campaigns
Notebooks, pens and uniforms for 1,200 students across three regions.
500 dignity kits distributed to mothers in rural Ashanti communities.
A 40ft shipping container of clothing, shoes and household essentials.
In loving memory of
1981 — 2004
William's kindness inspired his sister Vida to build something enduring in his name. Every family we serve and every box we ship carries a piece of him across the ocean.
From the founder
"My brother William believed the smallest kindness could travel further than we imagine. This is how we keep his word."
I grew up in Kumasi and moved to New York in my twenties. When William passed in 2004, I couldn't shake the idea that his name should be attached to something living — something that reached the neighborhoods we came from. Skills & Wills started with three boxes on my living-room floor. It's now shipments, partnerships, and thousands of families we're proud to call neighbors.
Vida Owusu — Founder & Director
Voices
When the shipment reached our village, my daughter received her first pair of new shoes. She wore them to church the very next Sunday.
I've packed boxes with Vida for two years. It sounds small, but folding a jacket for a family you'll never meet — it changes you.
Our pupils now have notebooks and pens to start the term. For a rural school, that changes what a classroom feels like.
Upcoming
Make a gift
Every dollar becomes freight, sorting and supplies delivered directly to families in Ghana. $50 covers the shipping cost of roughly 120 items.
$50 ships roughly 120 items to Ghana.
Prefer to give goods? Email hello@skillsandwills.org for drop-off and shipping details.
Give time
Sort donations, pack shipments, or host a drive at your school, church or workplace.
Volunteer shifts run Saturdays, 9am–1pm at our Bronx warehouse.
Contact
Questions about donating goods, hosting a drive, partnering with us, or requesting assistance in Ghana — we answer every message.
Shipment updates, upcoming drives and family stories. Sent monthly, never shared.
Media or partnership enquiries: hello@skillsandwills.org
