Report on Volunteering

Almost two months of work at Self-help Initiatives and Support Services (SISS) have passed, about time to give a summary of what went on.

SISS is an 18-year-old Ghanaian NGO, focused on empowering people at the grassroots to become economically and politically independent. Through skills trainings, such as catering and information technology, as well as personal development coaching, for example family planning and job interviews, trainees are granted the opportunity for a new life. Also, SISS has partnered with the Ghanaian government in HIV/AIDS education programs. In the past, individuals from all over the greater Accra area have participated in the programs. Currently, the focus is on residents from Agbogbloshie, a slum in Accra, considered one of the worst-off places in the country.

Over the last 6 weeks, I had the opportunity to accompany the final month of a batch of catering and information technology students, as well as assist in the preparations for the incoming group.




Elvis and Wisdom, two of the most motivated and promising students

 Graduation was a very cheerful event, and the pride in the trainees' eyes was overflowing. The relationships we built over the days of work were also very meaningful, and I must say I also felt very proud for them. In the ceremony, students thanked SISS, talked about their experiences, and exposed some of their work. Also, delicious food from the catering batches was served, including pastries and biscuits.
There was music, organized by ex-trainees from Agbogbloshie, and, as usual, dancing accompanied the drum beats.

IT students and trainer, Lizzie

Although it might be the last time we see many of the students, the fact that they now have an opportunity to redefine their realities through the learned skills is comfort enough to happily watch them go. Of course, many of them exchanged numbers with some volunteers, and calls to check-in are expected!

For a little imagery on how close we got to the trainees: when one of the IT girls was taking me to take a picture with her, Cecilia, from the catering group, pulled her by the arm and promptly asked "what do you think you are doing with my husband?!". I'm really not sure where she got that idea from, but I took it as a warm demonstration of friendship. haha Just to be sure, I interjected with Menware!, or "I won't marry!".

All the trainees at graduation

Some of my projects at SISS were personal development presentations, such as personal finance and goal setting and accomplishing. For the new batch of trainees, I interviewed about 40 individuals, around 60% of our new class so far. The interviews comprise socioeconomic status, long-term goals and personal history. Although a little repetitive, this kind of personal contact is unique for learning more about the trainee's lives. Many have communication issues, from English problems to stifled confidence, which adds to the necessity of flexibility, improvisation, and patience.
The overall process lasts from 40 to 70 minutes,which sometimes left trainees waiting for an entire day for a chance to be interviewed. Thus, knowing which questions were more meaningful to the trainee assessment, I redesigned the form, from 9 pages to 3. Now it takes between twenty and thirty minutes to complete, and also saves stationary funds.

My main function at SISS, however, has been formal grant proposal writing. We planned a six to nine-month project, to triple trainee-intake. After some research and reading, I got to work on the proposal itself, for values that range between $20,000 and $35,000. By now, we sent proposals to three different organizations, in the US and the UK. With the help of Comic Relief, a charity organization which partners with SISS, I will explore more options to send in more proposals. In about two months the results should start coming out, and hopefully the NGO will be benefited with the funds.

Contrasting with the experience of working in the non-governmental sector, last week I joined a start-up team at DAI Organization. DAI stands for Development Alternatives Incorporated, and as the name implies, is a company focused on economic development, environment and health in developing countries. In its forty years, DAI has worked in over 150 countries, and is one of the main contractors of USAID, the US Agency for International Development.

For the remainder of our time in Accra, I will have the privilege to intern in the Africa Lead project, as the Program Assistant. Basically, this is an economic development project, focused on agricultural production and food security. Our area of work is West Africa, although the project also has offices in Southern and East Africa. The objective is to train national leaders in the agricultural sector, to direct African economies into agricultural-led growth. This effort is in support of the African Union's Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) and the United States' Feed The Future (FTF) programs.
The project involves delivering leadership training, assessing the needs of various institutions to help meet the CAADP and FTF goals, and create a database for future consultation on African leadership training.

After two days of orientation, I learned as much about African economics as I would in an academic seminar. I honestly can't put my excitement into words, especially since economic development is currently my dream career path.

We moved into the new office on Monday, although it still needs to be painted and furniture has to be bought. Oh, my first contribution to the team: I linked the office to my family's chair and table rental service.

For the first week my job is to research the status of each of our five target-countries (Ghana, Nigeria, Mali, Senegal and Liberia) in their CAADP and FTF programs, and then to compile folders on each of them for the project's consultation. This includes their national and regional policy changes, investments and growth in agriculture, as well as future plans in the ministries and national administrations. Also, identifying focal points of contact in ministries and private sector organizations. Basically, reading documents such as investment plans and technical reviews, and transforming 150 pages into 5.

Playing a supporting role to six employees is an opportunity to learn from each of them. Also, such research provides a close look into the African development scene, one of the main reasons I came to Ghana.

Working with a smile,

Henrique