About Us

In September of 2003, Molly Ola Pinney moved to Ghana to continue providing ABA therapy services for a child she worked with in Seattle. When his family decided to move to Ghana, the care of their child with Autism was a concern. To address this concern, they felt their only option was to bring their own therapist to Ghana with them. After being in Ghana for less than two months, several families had sought Molly's assistance in gaining resources to help their children.

One Ghanaian mother whose child was diagnosed while briefly living outside of the country told Molly: "When my child was diagnosed with Autism, I would have preferred the diagnosis was a terminal illness, I was so scared. It has taken me years to get to the point of talking about it without breaking down."

Though she felt alone and isolated, she was not. Stories like hers were overwhelmingly shared. These stories kept Molly up at night and it was from them that the Global Autism Project was born! The answer seemed simple; the implementation has been gradual and deliberate:

In January of 2005, a M.Ed Level Country Director moved to Ghana who worked full time in the centre until May of 2005 providing training in ABA methodologies. Molly returned to the US where she and Renee Beus (an ACA kayak instructor) launched the Paddle For Autism Awareness, our signature fundraising event.

This was also the summer that Nic Fox, a childhood friend of Molly's joined the project! Nic had recently finished his US Peace Corps. assignment in Mali, and decided that he was not ready to leave Ghana. While Molly moved to NYC to continue her education, Nic moved to Ghana to support AACT's business and fundraising practices and prepare them to officially begin to accept volunteers.

In November of 2007, the Global Autism Project officially incorporated as a non-profit organization in NY State and has most recently launched a program in India in addition to the one in Ghana. The Vision of the Global Autism Project is to work with individuals providing services to people with autism in under-served populations around the World, including the U.S. 

Our Mission

To build local capacity to provide services to individuals with autism in under-served communities Worldwide.

Tthe Global Autism Project is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization dedicated to bridging the global gap in the resources and understanding of autism. We are committed to empowering communities worldwide to address the needs of individuals affected by autism through education, outreach, training, and the promotion of acceptance and compassion.

To address the lack of resources and extremely limited understanding of autism that plagues many under-served populations, we partner with autism centers established by local individuals. Our community empowerment model supports systemic change by providing family and community education through workshops and hands-on training.

We believe in embracing the talent and resources of the communities we serve by furnishing them with tools that engender self-reliance, sustainable development, and continued innovation. Through this comprehensive, bottom-up approach, it is our vision to build a world in which all individuals affected by autism have access to effective services.

Our Vision

Our vision is of a world where all children with autism will have access to effectve services wherever in the world they live.

How We Make It Happen

In Ghana, we have partnered with the Autism Awareness Care & Training Centre (AACT) founded by Serwah Quaynor, a mother of a child with Autism in Ghana. The Centre was established in 1998, and without advertising has grown to serve over 50 children.

The local staff at AACT are tremendously patient, caring, and dedicated people and we look forward to providing the resources and training to enable them to work effectively with the many children in Ghana who are already benefiting from their generosity.