ABANTU For Development – Accra
ABANTU for Development is an international NGO whose objectives are to increase the participation of Africans, particularly women, in their efforts to contribute to social and economic policy making, in attaining economic independence and equality before the law. ABANTU works in four thematic areas: gender and governance; gender and poverty; gender and peace-building; and gender and information and communication technologies. Programs include training and capacity building; advocacy, public awareness and networking; research, publication and information; and institutional development.
One students’ focus was as a Research and Parliamentary Officer who attended parliamentary proceedings and debates, to alert the organization of critical issues relevant to gender equality and to work with the Women’s Caucus and the Chair of the Finance Committee about gender issues.
The other student worked as a Research and Publication Assistant to collect data on women living with HIV/AIDS in the West Africa AIDS Foundation and research the extent of their participation in decision-making as well as to collect research and publications for the resource center.
Autism Awareness, Care and Training (AACT) – Accra
AACT is a centre that works with children with autism in an educational and care-giving capacity as well as promotes awareness and advocacy within the greater community. AACT recognizes the need for public awareness, open discussion and support networking to increase awareness of this often hidden, ignored and/or stigmatized condition. The day centre has over 30 registered students who come to spend time with volunteers, their care-givers and to socialize with other children in a safe space.
The student was involved in a variety of activities at the centre, particularly based around working with the children, programming and leading activities. Furthermore, she wrote proposals for grants, letters for workers and solicited international attention for the plight of children with autism in Ghana – from other African organizations as well as from North American and European centers. Also, the student helped to train and direct new volunteers.
The Bridge Foundation – Accra
The Bridge Foundation works to empower deprived and vulnerable youth through sports development, educational training and environmental sustainability. This local NGO has projects that are based in Accra and the small fishing village of Kokrobite. Projects include life-skills and vocational skills training, athletic and computer training as well as drug and violence prevention programs. The Bridge also works on an environmental sanitation project with the goal of improving the health and well-being of the target community in Kokrobite by means of waste disposal, improved sanitation and improved drainage.
The student’s role included researching funding and partnership opportunities, formatting and proposing new projects and teaching in a local junior high school. In particular, the student was deeply involved in the environmental sanitation proposal and the proposal for a computer literacy project for junior high school students.
Centre for the Development of People (CEDEP) - Kumasi, Ashanti Region
CEDEP is a service-oriented NGO that supports many development interventions through development education, advisory services, research, training, advocacy and networking. CEDEP uses a cross-sectoral approach to poverty reduction, human resource development, gender equity and sustainable development. Partners for these project range from multi-laterals, bi-laterals, transnational, local and international NGOs.
Students worked primarily with CEDEP’s health program, in particular its sexual and reproductive health section. Students helped to coordinate conferences and undertook monitoring and evaluation tools within their target communities. The students were also instrumental in a peer education project aimed at adolescents entitled ‘Protecting Your Dreams’.
Children’s Art Village / Village of Hope – Gomoa-Fetteh, Central Region
Children’s Art Village is an international NGO that has been working to bring art curricula to children, particularly orphans, around the world. Namely, they have established an art program at the Village of Hope orphanage and school in Gomoa-Fetteh. Village of Hope was established as an orphanage/safe house for children rescued from child trafficking. Children’s Art Village runs art camps which include a variety of activities teaching visual art, music and dance which seek to encourage students to learn about themselves and express their feelings through creative media.
The student planned a curriculum and taught creative arts to ten different classes, ranging from primary 1 to primary 6. This included lesson planning, prep-work, conferring with other teachers, instruction and marking. The student lived on site, as did many of the students, and therefore was able to participate in many other community activities.
Hayley Masterson – Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) – Takoradi, Western Region
CHRAJ is a quasi-governmental institution that focuses on human rights at both macro and micro levels through creation of awareness on human rights issues through public education as well as investigations of individual human rights abuses. Furthermore, CHRAJ acts as an anti-corruption agency and investigates cases of abuse of public office and unjust treatment by the government and its officers. CHRAJ is described as a quasi-judicial institution in the Ghanaian Constitution.
The student’s role was initially to aid with daily administrative and office duties while observing the functions of this institution. This included registering complaints, working on case reports and helping with public education programs for the promotion of human rights in schools. Later, the student was able to work on the planning and drafting of a public education program which focused on the developing oil sector in Ghana and the human rights implications of resource extraction.
Community-Driven Initiatives for Food Security (CIFS) – Tamale,
CIFS is a CIDA-funded project whose objective is to increase food security in 250 communities in the Northern Region as well as increase food security on a district-wide level and strengthen decentralized governance. CIFS tries to use ‘bottom-up’ approaches to allow communities to develop their own food-security initiatives and sees itself as a ‘development enabler and encourager’ while the facilitation is often done by partner organizations, local NGOs contracted by CIFS.
The student worked on documents that CIFS hoped to publish such as partner organization manuals, community action plan manuals, food security initiative manuals, area level planning manuals and newsletters. The student collated and edited these individual documents into one large publication. The student also accompanied coworkers on visits to associated communities.
Education Quality for All (EQUALL) – Tamale, Northern Region
The EQUALL project is funded by USAID and was intended to assist the Education Strategic Plan of Ghana’s Ministry of Education. Focuses of this six-year long project include ‘increased equitable access to education, improving the quality of education and strengthening the management capacity of the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service’. The Tamale office ran the Complementary Scholarship Program which intended to support girls and children with special needs who were transitioning to formal schools through scholarships of food rations and school supplies.
The student assisted with distribution of supplies under the CESP and was able to gain insight into some of the particular challenges faced in the rural north. Furthermore, the student collected, entered and corrected data from the field and created a final count of the CESP recipients and compiled reasons for those who dropped out. The student also participated in an exit strategy meeting for this program as it reached its completion.
General Agricultural Workers’ Union (GAWU) – Accra
GAWU strives to ‘defend, protect, promote and further the rights and interests of working people in the agricultural sector’ by acting as a voice on behalf of agricultural workers in both the formal and informal sectors. GAWU employs a human-needs and rights-based approach and represents its members through the following programs: Rights in Work, Rural Workers’ Organization Programme, Training and Education Programme and the Policy and Advocacy Campaign. GAWU also works on gender needs.
The student’s role included researching and drafting documents such as a concept paper, an anniversary report and a CIDA proposal. Furthermore, the student was able to attend gender workshops and union meetings. She was also able to participate in field trips to farms and plantations and was even able to plan and organize a program trip centered on unionized rice producers.
Hope for Future Generations (HFFG) – Ajumako, Central Region
The focus of this organization is to promote child and maternal health, as well as that of families and communities. HFFG works in remote communities using a holistic approach to improve the livelihoods of women, children and communities. With health as the primary focus, the organization works to strengthen the existing health structures, create new avenues for these communities to access proper health care and create awareness by educating the targeted beneficiaries.
The student’s role was to participate in the community projects and field training sessions in both advisory and observatory capacities. These projects included child survival and income generating activities. The student was able to participate in the initial stages of one project while also observing the completion of another and witnessing first-hand community entry and training activities. In addition the student assisted in administrative and office work.
Kungia Shiine So – Nsawam- Zongo, Eastern Region
The student worked with youth within her community, many of whom are considered ‘street youth’ in a variety of ways. The student was instrumental in supporting a football program and an educational hip-hop group. Kungia Shiine So means ‘family’ and the student found her placement to be unique in that she became a role-model and supported the youth in her group outside of the conventional parameters of an NGO. The student was able to witness first-hand issues of corruption within the NGO industry and made the best of her internship time outside of her initial placement (with the now discredited organization called AaL Yaseen). The student was also active in fundraising, proposal writing and logistical coordination of program activities and goals.
Opportunities Industrialization Centers International (OICI) and Golden Star Bogoso/ Prestea Limited (GSBPL) – Tarkwa, Western Region
OICI is an international NGO that seeks to improve the quality of life of low-income disadvantaged individuals through programs in areas such as agriculture and food security, health and HIV/AIDS, sustainable livelihood and community development, and education and skills development. In Tarkwa, OICI runs ‘Mining for Sustainable Development’ which partners with a gold mining company in creating a capacity building program.
Golden Star Resources is a Canadian gold mining company which holds two concessions in the area. It has a community economic development program which includes the Golden Star Oil Palm Plantation Project and seeks to help with long-term increased potential for community income. With OICI the student accompanied coworkers on field visits including program monitoring, community forum meetings, community scorecard retrieval and business planning as well as conducted an independent fieldwork study to assess community needs, identify problems, develop lessons learned and to modify current program activities.
With GSBPL, the student worked in the environment department to witness the corporate efforts at preserving environmental integrity and working towards environmental sustainability in the region. The student attended training sessions and accompanied coworkers on monitoring visits.
Millstone International – Accra
Millstone International is a small-scale NGO in Accra which works as a child-protection and rights agency towards preventing, rescuing and rehabilitating children who have been exploited in child trafficking, prostitution, forced labour and other dangerous situations. The organization cares for these children in a group living situation and focuses on three main areas: victim prevention, victim relief and victim aftercare. Furthermore, the organization advocates prevention of child exploitation through research, policy-making and committee involvement.
The intern was involved with a wide range of programs such as field research, advocacy and public awareness in the media on predator prevention and child safety. The student worked closely with the children at the home providing care and educational assistance. Also, the student worked on networking with other organizations and potential funders through grant proposals and fundraisers.
The Northern Region Planning and Coordinating Unit (NRPCU) – Tamale, Northern Region
The NRPCU coordinates development activities in the Northern Region by liaising with development partners that operate in the region. This includes advising development partners on projects and investments. Secondly, the NRPCU supports the district planning process of the government’s district assembly. As well, the NRPCU performs monitoring and evaluation of development projects and programmes in the region.
The student worked closely with another volunteer from Engineers Without Borders in capacity development work. The student participated in monitoring visits for some of the projects and was involved in writing reports. Later, he helped with some capacity building within the office, in connection with the EWB volunteer, in terms of harmonization of data and organizational structure.
Pro-Link – Accra
Pro-link seeks to ensure equitable development for rural and urban poor, especially women, with the mission of empowering the disadvantaged to improve their health, education and socio-economic status. Its programs include work on HIV/AIDS and sexual reproductive health, improving food security, protection of rural youth, resettlement of trafficked children and rehabilitation and support of physically challenged children and adults.
The student was heavily involved with Strengthening HIV/AIDS Response Partnerships (SHARP), a program which focuses on female sex workers and their non-paying partners as an HIV/AIDS intervention. The student was involved in fieldwork which provided outreach to project communities with education, counseling, testing and training of peer-educators.
Radio Ada – Ada, Greater Accra Region
Radio Ada is a local radio station which promotes local language (dangme), culture and issues such as poverty and underemployment, health, coastal erosion, illiteracy and teenage pregnancy. The station’s goal is to ‘support the development aspirations and objectives of the Dangme people in every sphere of life … give a voice to the voiceless in every context and at all levels… sustain the dynamic growth of Dangme culture within the national and global family [and] encourage, promote and contribute to informed dialogue and reflective action’. The station is involve in educational programming, distribution of information, cultural presentations and self-expression of community members.
The student was involved in organizing the digital music archives, transferring analog tapes to digital format, recording traditional music and gospel choirs in the communities, co-producing radio dramas and public service announcements, creating a Myspace web page for the station and various other computer-related tasks.
Regional Advisory, Information, and Network Systems (RAINS) – Tamale, Northern Region
RAINS is a Tamale-based NGO which operates in five districts in the Northern Region and aims to draw attention to the need for development in the Northern Region. Some specific focuses of RAINS include ’education, infrastructure, environmental issues, traditional governance systems, and child labour and trafficking. Through a wide range of programs, RAINS works with a number of partners locally and internationally to create awareness and to target some of these identified areas.
The student was involved with writing and reviewing funding proposals and drafting documents and informative materials for various projects. The student was able to participate in some community visits with the Maternal Mortality and Information and Communication Technology project to collect information on medical infrastructure and resources as well as transportation systems and transit times. Furthermore, she assisted in office duties such as preparing in-office capacity building workshops and proposal writing.
The Society for Women and AIDS in Africa (SWAA) – Accra
SWAA is an international organization that works with many others –large and small – on the issues of gender and HIV/AIDS. SWAA Ghana works to empower and mobilize women to make positive changes in their own lives and to help prevent the spread of HIV and educate others on related topics using rights-based and participatory approaches to development. SWAA undertakes preventative work such as condom distribution and education but also concentrates on treatment and positive living with projects in counseling, testing, capacity building and support groups.
The student’s role was to observe and participate in the ongoing projects and training sessions in Accra and surrounding regions. The student attended and contributed to support group meetings for people living with HIV/AIDS and visited a child survival project in Ajumako, Central Region. Furthermore, the student assisted in administrative office duties and report writing.
Wassa Association of Communities Affected by Mining (WACAM) – Tarkwa, Western Region
WACAM is a grass-roots, rights-based community and human rights CSO which advocates for the rights of marginalized communities where mining operations occur. WACAM seeks to protect the environment, natural resources and rights of marginalized communities through networking, advocacy, campaign and representation within a legal framework that is sensitive to the concerns of mining communities. The thematic areas of focus are human rights, community livelihoods, the environment, youth, gender equality and mining.
Students’ duties were both in the field and in the office. Administratively, these included writing funding proposals, news articles, formal letters and monthly reports. Outside of the office, students participated in and assisted program officers in the community workshops and durbars. Tasks included documentation, registration and facilitation as well as some computer training for volunteers.