American YouTuber and philanthropist Jimmy Donaldson, popularly known as MrBeast, has unveiled a nearly $10 million community development project in Ghana aimed at helping children stay in school rather than becoming involved in illegal labour on cocoa farms.
Known as Abna Dakwa Village, the project is located in Ghana’s Eastern Region and was documented in MrBeast’s latest YouTube video, I Built A City To Save Kids From Illegal Labor, released on September 19, 2026.
The development includes a school capable of serving more than 300 students, 10 homes for teachers, a medical clinic, clean-water infrastructure, solar power, agricultural facilities, a community marketplace, a football field and a children’s playground.
The project was developed on previously undeveloped land after about a year of planning and eight months of construction. The wider initiative is intended to address some of the economic pressures that can push children in cocoa-growing communities into labour instead of education.
Students at the new school are also expected to receive free meals on every school day for five years, with support from The Rockefeller Foundation. The programme is designed to improve nutrition and school attendance while reducing pressures on families.
MrBeast has also highlighted the importance of sustainable infrastructure within the community. The development includes solar-powered electricity, water systems, agricultural facilities, fish tanks and a chicken coop intended to support food production and economic activity.
The project has attracted significant international attention, while also generating debate online about the scale and location of the investment. MrBeast has defended his philanthropic approach, pointing to the wider work of his nonprofit, Beast Philanthropy, including food-distribution programmes in the United States.
Reports on the project say the wider Ghana initiative forms part of a longer-term effort to reduce child labour by improving access to education, healthcare, food, clean water and economic opportunities.
MrBeast’s Ghana project has also renewed international attention on child labour within cocoa-growing communities and the responsibility of governments, businesses and other stakeholders across the global cocoa supply chain.
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