About Us
We are a group of diverse, down-to-earth, professional, community and family-oriented people who are attempting to make a difference in the world by building bridges, connecting Black Americans and Africans, planting seeds, providing education, and growing sustainable healthy communities.
Our Origin Story
In 2003, on her 30th birthday around-the-world trip, Erin traveled to Ghana and met Stephen at the Cape Coast Slave Castle during a tour. He was her tour guide. It was one of the toughest, heaviest days of her life. Standing in the slave dungeon where thousands of African people were kept before being shipped to the Americas. It was a horrific place, where thousands died and thousands more suffered. After the tour Stephen introduced Erin to some orphaned and neglected children that were working selling goods on the streets to feed themselves and not able to afford to attend school. He created an afternoon “club” to teach them about local arts and dance – giving them community and something fun to look forward to. Erin’s heart burst open that day, visiting the slave castle, meeting this dear man Stephen who was caring for these kids, and meeting the kids, many rescued from human trafficking/slavery, abused or orphaned. When she returned home from her journey she stayed in touch with Stephen (whom she now lovingly calls her African brother from another mother) and started fundraising to pay for the kids to attend school.
A few years later she met Anika and they formed the US non-profit (501c3) Learn Grow Lead. They worked with Stephen in Africa, to develop a sustainability model that would empower the local community to raise their own money and become less dependent on our US donors, that project is The Helpers Farm. Since 2003 we grew our board, impacted thousands of lives by educating children, starting the sustainable farm, and building an orphanage.
We do this work because we support the empowerment and sustainable results that The Helpers Farm provides, and because we are a team of compassionate women who can’t turn our backs. These people have become family.