Partnering for Global Impact-Ghana

Understanding the Impact

Ghana-Make A Difference

Created in 2012, Cory and Stacy Hofman created Ghana: Make A Difference after a trip from Idaho to Ghana with the mission to protect vulnerable children and to preserve families in Ghana. During their time in Ghana, they felt a need to help those that they had met and would meet in the future. Since GMAD’s creation, on five acres of land donated by the local village chief, the organization has constructed and currently operates a main children’s home, a smaller home for children with special needs, a school, a dental / medical clinic, and a volunteer house. With 50 local employees and hundreds of volunteers, GMAD is able to sustain and operate the home.  GMAD’s goal is to preserve families by providing a path to self reliance through education, adult literacy, vocational training, social assistance, healthy living, and access to medical care.

Ghana-Make A Difference has 3 Focus Areas: Children’s Shelter, Medical Missions, and Education. In the Children’s Shelter, children are rescued from slavery, abandonment, domestic abuse or have special needs.  Here, the children learn to play and reintegrate into a normal situation as social workers attend to their needs.  In Education, GMAD is in the process of building a new school and use technology to introduce education to these children.  In Medical Missions, the surgical, ophthalmology and dental needs are addressed.  GMAD has been able to be operational year round and have their own surgical center since 2024.

Hope Smiles Together connected with Ghana-Make A Difference through their Executive Director, Austin Johnson. Hope Smiles Together was happy to send toothbrushes, toothpaste, and floss to GMAD with a dental volunteer traveling from the States to their dental mission clinic.

Here is my interview with Austin Johnson, Executive Director of GMAD:

• Where is GMAD in Ghana? Our Children’s Shelter is in between Kasoa and Winneba about 2 hours from the airport in Accra.
• How long were you there? I just got back a week ago, and I was there for about two weeks. I have a full staff of 54 employees who do the real work; they run the shelter, school and medical operations we do year round. I am the only employee outside of Ghana, and I do all the fundraising and help with our medical missions each year.
• What services did the clinic provide? We do one eye mission, one dental mission and several surgical missions each year. When we don’t have a volunteer team of specialists, we have a part time nurse that provides free medical care year round to that village and our children’s shelter.
• What type of healthcare people were there? Here are some videos volunteer video guys have made (and Mr. Beast made one) you might enjoy. All types of surgical and dental professionals have helped at GMAD over the years. https://www.ghanamakeadifference.org/about.html
• How many patients did they see? Most dental missions see about 500 folks.
• What is the latest trip completed for Ghana Makes A Difference? September 18 – 28, 2026

Stories from the Field

” we have a full dental set up in Ghana”  -Austin Johnson

– Garrett

How You Can Help

• Donate Supplies: New, travel-size dental supplies can be dropped off at our collection location.
• Financial Support: Monetary donations help us purchase supplies in bulk.
• Volunteer: Join us in organizing supply drives.
• Spread the Word: Share our mission with your network.