mmofra means “children”
connecting children everywhere through culture, nature & play
We are based in Spokane, Washington, USA. Through advocacy, interaction and stewardship we advance child-centered projects in culture, nature and play, in the U.S. and in Ghana.
Our current team of active or retired educators and artists is supported by creative, engaged thinkers of every description who share our belief that:
now more than ever, the sustaining of healthy green spaces matters, especially in cities.
now more than ever, children need play for their physical, social and emotional well-being.
young people deserve to know, value and share cultural heritage.
Recent Projects
May 2-30, 2024
FoMm was elated to be a 2023 recipient of a Spokane Arts Grant Award (SAGA). Thanks to this grant, Friends of Mmofra presented Playtime: Then and Now, an outdoor art exhibition, during the 50th celebration of Expo ’74 in Spokane, Washington. The exhibition illustrated the universality of play throughout culture and time.
June 22, 2024
Playtime and Art Event at Mobius Discovery Center
Friends of Mmofra and Mobius celebrated “Expo ’74 African Diversity Heritage Day” with Playtime and Art, an event featuring kid-centered table weaving, marble painting, colorful dress up, and hopscotch, all to the sounds of African-inspired rhythms.
An African storybook stroll at Riverfront Park
Riverfront Park in Spokane gave us a space just north of the blue bridge, to display pages from the picture book Gizo Gizo: A Tale from the Zongo Lagoon, by Emily Williamson and a group school of children in Ghana.
We also recently contributed to four book strolls in Ghana, a great example of our ‘parallel projects’ in Spokane and Accra. The book stroll is a public literacy idea which works particularly well in places like Accra, giving many more children access to nicely produced picture books that are centered on their world.
Our Focus
environmental stewardship
We help to sustain Mmofra Place park in Accra, Ghana as an urban green space accessible to children of all backgrounds and their families.
playful inclusion
We help to create a welcoming outdoor environment in which all families can rest, exercise and play.
heritage stewardship
We connect young people to cultural heritage through mindful design, programming and awareness. Our special conservation support goes to the Willis Bell Photo Archive in Ghana.
Parallel projects in the US and Ghana are powerful reminders of a shared world
Hands-on nutritional education, from raised garden beds in Accra to window-sill classroom greens in Spokane.
Vertical veggie beds made from recycled pallets during one of our working visit to Mmofra Place, Accra.
Artists in the United States and in Ghana volunteer designs which reflect and value children, culture and play.
Spokane-based artist Joe Guarisco’s greeting cards serve as a calling card for our work.
Students hone their global smarts through hands-on and virtual projects that connect them to shared world issues.
Spokane area high schoolers help to prepare signage for a cultural exchange event in the city.
A shared work in progress - Mmofra Park in Accra, Ghana
Contact
Want to know more? Get in touch!
Email
formmofra@gmail.com
Phone
(509) 464-0296