i Have a Vision (iHav)

history

IHAV, an acronym for I Have A Vision, was founded in October 2012 under the Companies Act, 1963 (Act 179) of the government of Ghana, as IHAV FOUNDATION, by a group of young African visionaries who saw the need to create a forum where the youth would come together to share ideas on addressing the challenges in our societies, not just by thought or word of mouth, but through sustainable actions as well. IHAV members are passionate about improving drastically, the quality of life across the continent and repainting a new image of hope and success for Africa.

IHAV has since October, grown and expanded to reach many young people, spreading out to over 10 countries across the continent.

The creation of IHAV

I have always dreamed about an Africa, where the people enjoy a good quality of life, an Africa where the people believed in themselves that we can do it if we really try, an Africa where we would create our own wealth and not entirely depend on aid.

I knew it was a stretch of imagination but I knew it wasn’t impossible. I have interacted with a lot of Africans who feel Africa could never make it to the heights of certain continents, but I have also interacted with a few optimistic ones who believed in Africa’s potential. Now the task was to get all these optimistic people together and prove to the world that all we really need to do is to put our vision in action.

In August 2012, I had the privilege of being selected as one of the outstanding participants of the South American Business Forum, in Argentina, to dialogue and share ideas on how we can change the world by being the change we want to see.

I was gingered and poised for action. I knew I couldn’t allow my country and continent at large to continue to battle with the same challenges over and over again. It rested on us as young people, with all our exuberance and creativity and ambition, to be the change force for Africa.

One afternoon, during a road trip along some villages in Ghana, the idea to start IHAV hit me hard, as I observed the deplorable conditions the people in these regions lived in, their low quality of life, and yet the massive chunk of natural resources readily available. It dawned on me then; ‘we really need to come together as Africans, as bearers of our problems, to cut down the many wealth and change lectures, and for once practically work at finding solutions to these problems which are persistent in the different regions of the continent. Let’s nurture the youth to change our negative mentality and encourage them to dream change and act on it.

I couldn’t sleep that night; I was too excited. I couldn’t wait till morning to share the idea and start bringing it to life. The next morning I shared it with a few friends and they loved it. We started working at it right from that moment onwards. Today, we have young people contributing to the vision of IHAV from all over the globe. IHAV, as you see today, is the result of a strong commitment towards something we are passionate about; taking Africa to higher heights.

 By  Christabel Ofori – Founder and CEO, IHAV Foundation