UI Employee’s Nonprofit Empowers Ghanaian Children Through Education, Resources

A University of Iowa employee, Edudzi “Eddie” Etsey, has founded a nonprofit organization, Eddies Teddies, to provide resources and education to children in Ghana.

The organization’s mission is to empower kids to achieve their goals and succeed in life.

Etsey’s journey began in 2006 when he read a research statistic about the healing power of companionship for children in hospitals.

He decided to take 50 teddy bears to a hospital in Ghana, where he witnessed firsthand the impact of his gesture. “One of the kids was hugging the bear and crying, and I was hugging the kid and crying,” Etsey recalls.

“It was the first stuffed animal that child had owned, and it was to help him heal. In that moment, something sparked in me.”Since then, Eddies Teddies has grown to provide a range of resources and support to children in Ghana.

The organization has established a library in a village, provided books and school supplies, and addressed the critical need for menstrual products and education. Etsey’s nonprofit has also played a significant role in building a new school for children with autism.

Etsey’s mission is not only to provide resources but also to empower kids to achieve their goals. “Children need to stay in classrooms, and there’s no reason not to provide them with what they need to succeed,” Etsey says.

“If we can provide for them, and they grow up and do that for someone else, we’re on the verge of making the world a better place.”