CorpsAfrica/Ghana, a non-profit organisation that recruit, train and deploy young volunteers to facilitate community-led projects, has organised its maiden 'Project Demo Day' in Accra. The event was aimed at promoting a culture of African philanthropy and build the professional skills youth in proposal development, presenting, pitching, fundraising, and networking. Mr Moses Cofie, Country Director for CorpsAfrica/Ghana explained that the demo day was inspired by American TV show, Shark Tank, which gives budding entrepreneurs the chance to pitch and secure funds for their businesses. He said some 16 volunteers had been deployed to 16 communities across the Central, Volta and Northern Regions of Ghana to help identify their needs and find lasting solutions to them. The community development projects of the volunteers, including building schools, wells, agriculture and irrigation systems, and supporting small businesses start-up, are in Ghana, Morrocco, Malawi, Rwanda and Kenya. Meanwhile, CorpsAfrica has secured a US$59.4 million partnership with the Mastercard Foundation to increase volunteers work to Nigeria, Uganda, and Ethiopia, largely, to help fight against poverty. 'These amazing volunteers, who have served the communities for seven months, have been able to assist their communities to identify major challenges they are facing and taken on the great responsibility of helping them solve the identified challenge,' Mr Cofie said. He urged development partners, philanthropists, corporate bodies and other Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to respond to the funding appeal from volunteers to enable them implement their respective community-identified projects. The six selected volunteers who pitched their community-identified projects were Joana Doudu Owusu, Martin Rasheed Musah, Victoria Wintonya Ndebugri, Ibrahim Ismail, Susana Kolog and Joshua Kwawuvi. During the five-minutes presentation, they provided a description of their respective projects, the expected impact, budget and sustainability plan. The projects included facilitating trainings in vocational skills for women and girls in Nantong Zoo, providing teachers' bungalow and a nursery school in Anweem Kissi, and constructing a technical training workshop in Peki-Tsibu. The other projects are constructing a three-classroom block with staff room in Chanzegu, constructing a Community-based Health Planning (CHPS) compound in Kwameatta and constructing a place of convenience in Kanfiehiyii. Some representatives from Compassionate Ghana, Vodafone Ghana, Peace Corps, Mastercard Foundation, Access Bank, Camfed, Future for Africa, Send Ghana, Global Shea Alliance, GIZ-Ghana, West Africa Civil Society Institute (WASCI), Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), witnessed the ceremony. Some of the representatives at the event commended CorpsAfrica/Ghana for their community-based initiatives and pledged to work together to inspire young Africans in solution-oriented philanthropic works.
Source: Ghana News Agency