The birth of the Work Meaningful Foundation was sparked by the founder Justin Jones-Fosu’s visit to his father's home village in Ghana in 2019. After seeing the joy in the children’s eyes at a local school, Justin wanted to make a powerful impact by asking the school’s leadership what they needed rather than assuming.

This led to a donation from Work Meaningful, Justin's North Carolina-based workplace learning and development company, dedicated to enhancing the employee experience through meaningful employee engagement and inclusion for all. The donation consisted of 90 dual desks and access to clean water, which was unveiled during an event at the Akyremade Primary and JHS School outside of Kumasi, Ghana. The schools assumed the money came from a charity and added “Foundation” after Work Meaningful. As a result, Work Meaningful Foundation was born.

Strong and resilient company cultures are characterized by employees with meaningful connections to their work and workplace. The Work Meaningful Foundation applies the same logic to its work with young people - by fostering meaningful connections to their families, communities, and future aspirations, young people have the power to disrupt intergenerational poverty and become the best version of themselves.