Why I Founded SOVAN International
By Richard Nuanah, Founder and President
The story of SOVAN International begins with my own childhood in northern Ghana.
Growing up, I walked several kilometers to school, sometimes barefoot and without breakfast. At home, I fetched water from rivers and dams, even though it was not always safe to drink. Getting an education meant finding ways to meet the costs. I sold used clothes, shined shoes, and worked on farms and construction sites to support my schooling.
I also witnessed the difficulties families faced when someone became ill and needed medical care. These experiences helped me understand how closely education, water, health, and livelihoods are connected. A child’s ability to learn depends on much more than having a place in a classroom.
Teaching at Savelugu School for the Deaf
After completing my professional teacher training, I worked at Savelugu School for the Deaf. The school faced shortages of teachers and resources, while its students faced additional barriers associated with disability and social exclusion.
I taught agricultural science and integrated science, mentored students, and served as Sports Master. My work also included helping students develop practical skills in crop production and raising animals.
One of the most difficult challenges was the stigma surrounding deafness. I encouraged parents to enroll their children and recognize their right to an education. The students had abilities, interests, and ambitions that deserved encouragement, alongside the support they needed to learn and participate.
Building Connections with Mainstream Schools
As Sports Master, I saw an opportunity to bring deaf students and hearing students together through sports.
I organized sporting activities involving our students and their hearing counterparts from mainstream schools. These shared activities created opportunities for students to interact, compete, and get to know one another. They also helped connect our school with the wider school community.
This work led to our students being included in other sporting activities with hearing students. It was a practical step toward greater participation and belonging. For me, inclusion meant creating opportunities for students to take part, demonstrate their abilities, and build relationships beyond their own school.
The experience strengthened my commitment to ensuring that children with disabilities have access to education, practical skills, and community life.
From Personal Experience to SOVAN International
My childhood and teaching experiences helped shape the decision to establish SOVAN International.
I know what it means to pursue an education while facing hunger, long journeys, and financial hardship. I have seen the challenges of relying on unsafe water and struggling to access healthcare. As a teacher, I also witnessed how stigma and limited resources can restrict opportunities for children with disabilities.
These experiences remain at the heart of SOVAN’s purpose: working with underserved communities to expand access to education, health, safe water, sustainable livelihoods, and opportunities to participate fully in society.
They also inform our commitment to human rights and social protection, especially for people whose voices and needs are too often overlooked.
Through SOVAN, I want to work alongside communities, volunteers, professionals, and partners to address the barriers that prevent people from building the lives they want. Local people must have a meaningful role in identifying their priorities and shaping the solutions.
My hope is that a child’s circumstances will not determine the limits of their future—and that children with disabilities will grow up with the support, respect, and opportunities they deserve.