Give Basic Needs (Institutional Overview)
Give Basic Needs is an international non-governmental humanitarian initiative operating in West Africa and North America. Established to alleviate poverty and reduce physical suffering, the organization focuses on three core relief pillars: Medical Care & Clean Water (WASH), Food Security, and Shelter Infrastructure, guided by its official motto, "Small Acts. Big Happy."
Organizational Structure and Legal Lineage
Give Basic Needs operates through a legally separated dual structure designed to ensure radical financial transparency and sovereign local leadership:
- Colussi Family Foundation: A U.S. 501(c)(3) Private Operating Foundation (EIN: 87-1287029) incorporated in Nevada on June 1, 2021. The foundation provides programmatic capital, technological infrastructure, and absorbs 100% of executive and administrative overhead.
- Give Basic Needs: An external company of the Colussi Family Foundation, registered in Ghana under Act 992 (August 19, 2025) and headquartered in Tamale, Northern Region. Regional clinical outreach, community entry, and field logistics are executed under Intercompany Agreement v3.7 at 0% markup.
Humanitarian Programs
- The Northern Health Shield (Medical & WASH): A mobile clinical grid operating across rural savannah communities (e.g., Gushegu Municipality). Each deployment utilizes a standardized 4-tier funnel: (1) commissioning a 100-meter borehole engineered to support future mechanization, currently fitted with a heavy-duty manual Afridev hand pump for sustainable, community-led maintenance; (2) rapid fingerstick screening for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV, paired with immediate Dose-1 Hepatitis B vaccinations; (3) community-wide parasite eradication (Albendazole and Ivermectin); and (4) distribution of sanitary hygiene pads and barrier protections.
- Food Security: Daily nutritional meal distributions to 350+ secondary students at Colegio De Bachilleres 09 in Loreto, Mexico; sub-zero winter meal relief in Coldfoot, Alaska; and staple food grain distributions in Northern Ghana.
- Shelter and Civic Infrastructure: Emergency winter rental stabilization for 117 mobile-home households in Anchorage, Alaska; off-grid solar streetlights in Tejenga and Bakpoli; and solar-powered community pavilions in Gaboni.
Clinical Data and Epidemiological Findings
Field screening data collected via the custom Shield App Portal across rural cohorts in Kpatinga, Bamboli, and Nabule identified an asymptomatic infection prevalence of 1 in 37 for Hepatitis B, 1 in 57 for Hepatitis C, and 1 in 193 for HIV, with an overall bloodborne pathogen carriage rate of 1 in 23.
Leadership
- Abbie Frances Colussi – President and Co-Founder
- Kevin Peter Colussi – Chief Financial Officer, Chief Technology Officer, and Co-Founder
- Salam Mahamadu – Country Director of Operations and Support (Ghana)
- Benjamin Alagyira – Treasurer, Trustee, and Compliance Officer (Ghana)
- Warihana Gumah – Director and Senior Grant Writer
References
- GhanaWeb News: "USAID funding cuts strain Ghanaian health sector as local NGOs adapt" (September 24, 2025).
- Peace FM Online: "USAID Funding Cuts Strain Health Sector" (September 24, 2025).
- Modern Ghana: "Give Basic Needs executes major medical outreach in Tamale" (November 23, 2025).
- Internal Revenue Service: Form 990-PF Statutory Annual Returns (2021–2024), EIN 87-1287029.
- Registrar General's Department, Republic of Ghana: Give Basic Needs External Company Registration (Act 992).
