United Charities Endowment Fund of America (UCEFA)
It began with a dream of clean water…
Literally, a series of dreams of bringing safe drinking water to villages in remote regions of Ghana, West Africa. Over the years, this dream was realized into a multi-generational effort spanning across states and countries, raising over $1.5M and helping over 125,000 people obtain safe drinking water.
We fund the building of wells, purification systems, and tapping into government water lines. This clean water, described by one chief as “the gift of life,” continues to flow.
Our BHAGs
UCEFA was established with three Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs). As our founder, Doug Edwards notes, “A BHAG is so big that it cannot be accomplished with present resources. It’s so audacious that its ‘over the horizon look‘ spans generations. It requires a lifetime commitment, trust, and perseverance.”
UCEFA’s three BHAGS are:
1) Bring safe sustainable drinking water to 250,000 souls.
To date, safe sustainable water has been brought to 125,000 +.
2) Establish and fund a clergy pension program for indigenous Anglican clergy in the rainforest.
Fulfilled in 2019.
3) Free 1,000 children from slavery.
Children freed as of June 2024: 700+.
We are abolitionists
Slavery still exists in many parts of the world today, including Ghana. Child slave labor is most predominant within the fishing industry on Lake Volta, the world’s largest manmade lake. We’ve partnered with a local activist group to help secure the rescue and rehabilitation of more than 700 child slaves since 2015. These children are rescued from Lake Volta, brought to a rehabilitation school with their peers to receive medical attention, nourishment, rest, socialization and counseling as needed. Whenever possible, they are eventually reunited with their families and reintegrated into their communities.
Photo of rescued children’s hands at the safe house.
Become an abolitionist
UCEFA does not actively solicit funds due to IRS rules, but we sure can accept them. All gifts are tax deductible. Make a life-saving difference by donating. You can delegate where you want your funds to go— toward our next rescue mission, water project, community development project, or let us decide.
Community development
Our efforts continually expand as we hear the need for further community development projects. Some additional achievements include:
Micro business loans to women cooperatives. Impact: families have money to send children to school and have access to improved health care.
Establish and fund a local health care clinic in Nsawdir village.
Fund the first Anglican female priest in West Africa through seminary.
Establish a scholarship fund for Yamfu Secondary School for girls with exceptional capabilities. Impact: recipients have gone on to medical school and careers in practicing medicine.
Construct a girls’ dormitory in a residential high school in Sunyani allowing 75 girls the opportunity to attend high school each year.
Implement a biomass water filtration system suitable for individual homes, schools and neighborhood clusters, which successfully treats polluted river water to US potable standards without the use of any chemicals or electricity.
Construct a village community center. Impact: village is able to safely gather for special events and lease the facility to third parties to support other community projects.
Construct or improve five elementary schools. Impact: over 1,000 children able to attend school with desks, chairs, roofing, concrete floor, and safe drinking water.
Establish farm cooperative. Impact: farmers able to save grain for sale during peak season, thereby assuring funds for next season’s planting.
“Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.”
— Fannie Lou Hamer, civil rights leader
Contact
Feel free to reach out to us.
Email
canondougedwards@yahoo.com
Phone
(805) 850-8992