Omenaa Mensah, a prominent European philanthropist, recently broke ground on the Kids Haven Sport & Art Complex in Accra, a facility set to provide sports, arts, and holistic care for Ghana’s street children.
Supported by an outstanding lineup of government officials, including representative of Ghana’s Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Geoffrey Tamakloe, Polish Deputy Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Marta Cienkowska and international ambassadors, including former NBA player, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Poland’s top fitness trainer, Ewa Chodakowska and Larry Amponsah, a Ghanaian artist residing in London.
As the Omenaa Foundation celebrates its 10th anniversary, the Kids Haven Sport & Art Complex, marks a monumental achievement in its mission to uplift at-risk youth. At the ceremony, Omenaa Mensah shared her holistic vision:
The Kids Haven Sport & Art Complex is a dream realized. With ambassadors like Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Ewa Chodakowska and Larry Amponsah inspiring children through sports and creativity, we are crafting a future, where Ghana’s youth can thrive, dream and succeed. This project is about more than sports or art; it is about building self-belief and creating pathways to opportunity.
The emerging sports complex will be endorsed by respected and influential personalities from Poland, Europe, the United States, and Africa. The first ambassadors of the Haven Dream Team include: Pops Mensah-Bonsu, a former NBA player of Ghanaian descent who runs the Seed Academy in Ghana to teach basketball to children and youth, Larry Amponsah, a Ghanaian multimedia artist who creates collages from archival images and artifacts from various cultures and Ewa Chodakowska, Poland’s most popular fitness trainer who has inspired over 2 million Poles to transform their lives. The choice of Ewa Chodakowska, as an ambassador for the entire complex was intentional.
Her “Great Emotions” initiative, a Week of Transformation in the Maldives, has twice set record bids at the TOP CHARITY Auction, selling for 2 million PLN in 2023 and 5 million PLN in 2024—the full amount was donated to the construction of the complex.
Designed with state-of-the-art basketball and football fields, tennis courts and an art therapy center, the Kids Haven Sport & Art Complex will be a comprehensive space for children’s development. Through partnerships with Ghanaian organizations, the complex will host international exchange programs, enabling Polish doctors and artists to collaborate with local professionals in support of youth wellbeing and cultural exchange.
Attendees included Ida Karkoszka, sculptor and participant in maltabiennale.art 2024, Igor Dobrowolski, an artist whose work achieved a record price of 210.000 USD at the TOP CHARITY Auction 2024, Boris Kudlicka, renowned set designer, architect, and designer collaborating with OmenaArt Foundation at maltabiennale.art 2024, Louise Pragnell, an English painter known for her portraits of the British military, as well as Polish stars such as Małgorzata Rozenek-Majdan, and Lefteris Kavoukis, along with local volunteers and community representatives.
The Omenaa Foundation, has supported vulnerable children in Ghana since 2014, first established the Kids Haven School in 2021 as a refuge for children rescued from child labor. The new complex now expands the foundation’s mission, providing holistic development for children in need.
Omenaa Foundation: a decade of Dedication to Children
Since 2014, the Omenaa Foundation has supported children from Polish orphanages, Ukraine, and street children in Ghana. It provides comprehensive care, including material support, tutoring, and cultural and artistic activities. Thanks to the founder’s efforts, Kids Haven School opened in Ghana in 2021, providing a haven where children rescued from child labor find shelter, care, and education.
Construction on Kids Haven School began in 2017 and four years later, on September 4, 2021, the center was officially opened.
In three years, 67 children saved from forced labor found a safe home there. Kids Haven Sport & Art Complex, the latest Omenaa Foundation initiative, will provide a place where school residents can develop both sports and artistic talents, while benefiting from medical and psychological support.
TOP CHARITY Auction
The Omenaa Foundation’s annual luxury charitable event, Europe’s most prestigious gathering of business leaders, artists and collectors, unites to raise essential funds for transformative initiatives supporting vulnerable children in Poland and Africa, as well as the young artists.
The TOP CHARITY Auction 2024, was recognized by the international initiative Luxury Lifestyle Awards and honored with the title of Best Luxury Auction Event in Europe.
The year before, it won the award for Best Luxury Auction Event in Poland.
