Volunteer Africa

Vital Stats

Ben E

Birmingham, MI

people helped200
People Doing It100

The Problem

Volunteer Africa is connecting our community in the USA with the underprivileged small farm town of Nkwantakese, Ghana to solve the problem of illiteracy and hunger. -That's where we start. Other projects raise awareness of issues far from Nkwantakese. The genocide in Darfur, Rwanda, and child soldiers in Uganda. But in order to make a difference, we have focused on the two issues listed at the top. A school in Nkwantakese is failing to help the children it serves. Ghana's highly selective feeding program does not include this school of 100 children. Most of the kids rely on the one meal provided at the school's expense. But now only 7 cups of rice and 4 cans of tomatoes remain to keep the school afloat. Kids are already skipping school to work at farms in order to make it through the day. As soon as I heard about this immediate need, I, along with the organization I lead, Volunteer Africa, raised $1,300 for the school. This will feed the children until June, at which time I will go to Nkwantakese to help sustain the feeding program. I will be in Ghana for one year as the rest of the Volunteer Africa team raises awareness and funds to sustain the school. With out a doubt, we saved the school and we will continue to help underprivileged children in Africa.

Plan of Action

Volunteer Africa has only been in operation for seven months, but our goals and ideals are timeless. -In the course of this school year we have taken many steps to more successfully help the underprivileged children in Ghana. -First, we organized a group of 70 student volunteers to help us in the cause, because this is about leading our communities to help the issues, not just myself. -Next we started projects that directly aided or raised awareness about the problems people face in Africa. We gathered and packed 80 large boxes of clothes to benefit the kids in Nkwantakese, Ghana. We held an event called the Africa Fair, which raised awareness about issues in Africa, and ways people could help. We raised $1,000 from that event. Then we held a volleyball tournament which raised $3,000. And just this past week, Volunteer Africa benefited from an event called the Poetry Slam, which raised $1,300. This will be used to provide food to the children at the school in Nkwantakese, Ghana. -We have organized a board of directors comprised of educators, charity leaders, and community members who have the common passion to connect our community with those in Africa, raise awareness, and aid the suffering of people in Africa. -We are on our way to sustaining projects in Africa that will work directly with the people that we help. This summer, I plan to build a volunteer residence in Nkwantakese, and continue the feeding program at the school. And I hope to teach there as well. The volunteer residence is an essential piece of the Volunteer Africa project because volunteering in Ghana is why I became the person I am. Volunteers can stay at the residence at no cost while they sustain the community of Nkwantakese. By building one volunteer house, the volunteers can build houses and facilities for the people there. These projects will involve a lot of work from myself and the Volunteer Africa team at home. It's been a huge success so far, and will continue to be in the future.