Anidaso is a non-profit organization whose founders believe clean water, healthcare, and education are basic human rights. The mission of Anidaso is to serve the underserved in our world.
Scroll to Explore the History of Anidaso
'07
In June, 2007, Martha Leeson, Anidaso Founder, Dr. Sheryl Hamilton, Anidaso Board of Directors, and two others traveled to the small village of Ateiku, Ghana. They discover a small village struggling to provide for their families and vow to help.
'08-'17
Within a year, the team organized volunteers from Dallas Christian School in Mesquite, Texas, to send a container of more than 350 bicycles, computers, school supplies, clothing, backpacks, washer and dryer, furniture, and textbooks to Ateiku.
During the formative years, there were annual trips to Ateiku, Ghana. Some years there were multiple trips. Hundreds of high school students, teachers, and parents share the commitment to Ateiku. Humanitarian trips to the village create a bond that is as solid as a rock. Many early volunteers continue to support Anidaso with monthly gifts. Students say they realize they may not be able to travel to Africa each year, but they can give each month. The smallest donations can add up to clean water, healthcare, and education for the world's underserved population.
Through these years, individual donors provided funding for more than 75 water wells, medical equipment, housing for teachers, computer technology, a school bus, a 50-bed hospital, a church/school building, and much more.
The desire to serve others has carried volunteers to other parts of the world, including Cameroon, Kenya, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.
'18
After 11 years of serving, the team formed an IRS recognized 501c3. They named the nonprofit Anidaso in honor of the language of the people of Ateiku, Ghana. The word anidaso means hope in Ghanian language of Twi. Since its official formation, Anidaso has stayed true to the mission of providing clean water, healthcare, and education for the underserved in the world.
today
To date, Anidaso has built a home for a doctor, provided salaries for unpaid educators, sponsored the primary, junior high, high school, and university education of numerous school children, provided medical needs for hospital patients, provided medical equipment for hospitals, and dug a countless number of water wells.
The pandemic of 2020 did not stop Anidaso. We provided much needed medical supplies to keep the hospital safe and clean during one of the most deadly pandemics the world has ever experienced. Anidaso also provided salaries for many educators who had not been paid during the global shutdown. Work on water wells continued, and 13 wells were dug in rural villages. These wells provide clean water access for generations to come.
Today our work continues to grow as we stay true to the mission. Our future goals include continuing our partnership with needs in Ateiku, Ghana. These ongoing needs include clean water, education, and access to healthcare. Our work has expanded to a mountainous area in Kenya where water access is virtually impossible. Anidaso believes hope gives life.
The heart and soul of Anidaso lie in its founder, Martha Leeson. Martha has spent her life as an educator, journalist, free-lance photographer, and graphic designer. It was her passion for the Western Region of Ghana that gave birth to Anidaso.
After leading numerous humanitarian trips to the village of Ateiku, seeing firsthand the needs, Leeson brought the idea of Anidaso to a close group of friends. Led by Martha, the soon-to-be board members and advisory board members had already played active roles in global and local humanitarian and mission work. The team agreed upon three main objectives: clean water, education, and healthcare.
Martha's desire to teach far beyond the walls of a classroom setting has led to changed lives both in the US and abroad. Her compassion for others drives her beyond empathy to action, leading efforts to fund numerous water wells, expand access to education, and provide life-saving medical supplies. Her love for photography and graphic design allows her to bring the faces of the people she loves home for others to meet.
Martha has three grown of her children, two daughters-in-law, a son-in-law, and five grandchildren. She is also "mom" to two Ghanaian young men who she raised through high school and college here in the US. And then, of course, there are hundreds of former students who call her their "second mom."
Martha is excited to continue the mission of Anidaso in other parts of the world. She has traveled extensively throughout the globe and knows you have to start somewhere. Martha believes clean water, healthcare, and education are basic human rights and is committed to meeting needs one life at a time as God blesses and provides through Anidaso.
Tara Kirk
Tara Kirk was moved to action by the photos she saw from people who had traveled to Ateiku, Ghana. In 2014 when she was able... Read More
Earl Young
Coming soon...Read More
Kristi England
Work and play go hand-in-hand. Kristi England has the unique privilege of a job that allows both. Day-to-day, Kristi can be... Read More
Robyn Craig
Robyn Craig believes the words "Be Kind" have the power to change the world. As a woman of faith, wife, mother... Read More
Dr. Sheryl Hamilton
A trip to Ghana in 2007 changed Dr. Sheryl Hamilton’s perspective on all things she previously thought might be important... Read More
Kathy Holt
Kathy Holt feels called to serve. Whether she is helping the people where she lives or people across the ocean... Read More
Laurie Muns
Laurie Muns is the newest member of our Board of Directors. Laurie and her husband, Greg, have been long supporters of... Read More
Darla Sanderson
Darla and her husband Michael adopted their daughter, Savannah, from Ethiopia. God had chosen to build their... Read More
Fredrick Akuamoah
Christina Adcock
Kennedy Barnett
Laurie Barnett
Lauren Leeson Eagle
Madison England
Jan Foster
Emma "McCartney" Kirk
Ann Kittrelll
Jake Robbins
Millie Winston
