National Volunteer Day (NVDay) is an initiative of the GhanaThink Foundation’s Ghana
It happens around September 21- which is the Founder’s Day holiday in Ghana.
NVDay encourages many people in Ghana to volunteer, make impact in our communities, help solve problems in ways we could, and help people.
It wasn’t just to help people, but help ourselves as volunteers : in building skills – especially soft skills, gaining experience, networks, etc.
GhanaThink chose Founders’ Day – September 21. This was a day the Atta Mills led government instituted as a day to remember the founders of Ghana (men and women) who did great things for Ghana.
By volunteering around September 21, we would also be doing something for Ghana.
On December 5, 2013, the Ghana Volunteer Program was created by GhanaThink to run National Volunteer Day and match volunteers to volunteer opportunities.
Here is a snapshot of what has happened in the past with the Ghana Volunteer Program program:
2013: 34 activities, 233+ volunteers, 11 towns, 7 regions, 1000s of beneficiaries
2014: 80 activities, 300+ volunteers, 17 towns, 10 regions, 1000s of beneficiaries
2015: 80+ activities, 1000+ volunteers, 20 towns, 10 regions, 1000s of beneficiaries
2016: 70+ activities, 1000+ volunteers, 24 towns, 9 regions, 1000s of beneficiaries
2017: 70+ activities, 1000+ volunteers, 27 towns, 10 regions, 1000s of beneficiaries
Volunteering through NVDay has enabled several people to gain leadership, teamwork, and other skills because they are given opportunities to learn on the job.
This is similar for many Volunteeringh opportunities all year round for people in Ghana.
There are so many examples of #volunteeringh activities one can do.
- Eleanor Asare (a member of the Ghana Volunteer Program team which runs NVDay) has leveraged it to build the CSR Hub.
- Kuukuwa Manful started SociArchi after leading about 40 people to build a playground for a school in Accra.
- Sampson Deklu (the Partnerships lead for Barcamp Ghana) started volunteering and is now running #ThousandFor1000.
GhanaThink is run by more than 100 volunteer members.
The Ghana Volunteer Program is run by a team made up of – Adelina Martey, William Osilaja-Boampong, Enock Nyamador, Midas Bambilla, Gerald Sowah and Eleanor Asare.
They are ably supported by GhanaThink’s executive team.
Various teams of GhanaThink members in different towns support this team in localized activities, etc.
GhanaThink members are some of the most influential young Ghanaians who have excelled in their various fields of endeavours.
Through GVP, a volunteerism program has been launched and started for accounting students at University of Ghana Business School.
Several Rotaract and Leo Clubs in Ghana have gained new members through people volunteering with them during NVDay.
Several people volunteered for the first time during National Volunteer Day and continue to volunteer. Many people have found internships and jobs from networking at volunteeringh activities.
Eleanor Asare who has been part of the GVP team since its inception has also organized some volunteeringh activities.
She shares this tip: “It is important to document the activity and those who participated. It helps the organizer plan better the next. It helps the GVP collate accurate data on the number of people who participated and thereby measuring impact year after year”.
Ato Ulzen-Appiah (Director of the GhanaThink Foundation) adds: “Around September 21, 2018 – National Volunteer Day brings more volunteeringh opportunities. People in Ghana must take advantage of NVDay to add more value to our lives, continue to build our track records that would make our professional lives much easier due to built skills and excellent experiences”.
Here are some types of activity one can organize including some organizing tips and other tips for volunteers.
Think around these Activities: Tutoring in a subject, Teaching a particular skill or talent Blood donation drives, Clean-up exercises, Orphanage visits + donation, Improving infrastructure, health screenings & talks, ICT training for youth, Painting schools, Mentoring events, etc
However individuals who can’t volunteer can support financially by donating via https://expresspaygh.com/nvday or via mobile money – MTN-0245857061 (Midas Bambilla) | Vodafone-0207823076 (Eleanor Asare) | AirtelTigo-0267879382 (Ato Ulzen-Appiah).
Interested persons can also register, join activities or find more info via https://volunteeringh.org
By:StephanieHorsu/techvoiceafrica.com
