Volunteering with Nima Community Foundation
Charles set up this NGO to give back to his community. The community benefits from his tours & contacts, the NGO doesn't believe in 'voluntourism' & will select only certain visitors to assist the programme.
In June 2013, the NGO received it's first volunteer, a great success on both sides. Areas of interest are: sanitation, health & education. You will be able to lend your expertise to organisations such as the school and the 'Mothers Club' amongst others. The programme doesn't ask for any real payment, only minimal help towards rental costs & a deposit system.
- The volunteer will be expected to finance and arrange their own transport to and within Ghana, daily living costs & visa requirements; all volunteers will be met at Kotoka International Airport, Accra by Charles or one of his assistants.
- Overseas medical insurance is compulsory as is malarial medication and bringing your own 'treated' net.
- Minimum qualifications required: degree level students or equivalent shown through work experience with good English. You will have to use your own initiative to carry out your contribution to the programme.
- A detailed explanation of your intended work to help Nima will need to be written and demonstrated during a VOIP (skype) interview with his mentor.
- All volunteers will be asked to produce a police check from their resident country.
- NO couples or friends, although you may find a 2nd volunteer helping at the same time.
- You will generally be expected to work 5 hours a day, 5 days a week.
- Volunteers should be physically fit, healthy & able to deal with living in an area such as Nima which is friendly but can suffer from power cuts making life difficult at times.
- The volunteer will stay with Charles and be asked to pay 40GhC per month to assist towards rental & utility costs, Charles' room has a bucket shower area, the nearest toilets are 100m down the alley. If you prefer your own room, arrangements can be made but the costs will undoubtedly be higher.
- A deposit of 800GhC per month will be given to Charles on arrival and deposited into the NGO's bank account, at the end of each week Charles will return 200GhC to you. If you leave the programme earlier than stated the money will be retained by the NGO (except in cases of serious illness).
- Minimum stay of ONE month, it'll be a month that may change your life & certainly Charles will ensure you enjoy it!
First Volunteer Testimonial
I came to Nima as a healthcare volunteer. Charles has been my guide around Nima for the whole month. In between, he acquainted me with Anani Memorial Int'l School, Maamobi Mother's Club and many more. Charles is well-honed in the history of Nima, greater Accra, entire Ghana and even adjacent countries. He opened my eyes to this culturally rich community, yet made me realize the potential conflict existing here - poverty. Charles not only showed me around lots of hidden corners in this community, he also helped me become part of the community, too, but actively engaging me into conversation with local people, encouraging me to try out local gourmet, and bringing me to cultural circumstances such as drum and dance.
Behind the scene of the tour, Charles has also been working on the chartering of Nima Community Foundation. Through sponsorship, GNTours, and volunteerings, Charles envisioned a better future for the community that nurtured him. The aspects Charles has focused on are education, sanitation and health. It is a grand plan and I wish he will succeed establishing this NGO and help the Nima residents to a greater extent.
A small tip for the tourists: Wednesday is Market Day, it will be crowded, but it will also expose its culture to you to a greater extent.
Good luck Charles!
(Thank you for teaching the children to sing 'Hey Mrs Windsor' amongst all the other great work you achieved!!!)