National Volunteer Day: All You Need To Know About It

In 2013, the GhanaThink Foundation instituted National Volunteer Day – NVDay. This was to encourage many people in Ghana to volunteer, make an impact in our communities, help solve problems in ways we could, and help people. It wasn’t just to help people, but to help ourselves as volunteers : in building skills – especially soft skills, gaining experience, networks, etc. GhanaThink chose Founders’ Day – September 21 in 2013. Ato Ulzen-Appiah (GhanaThink’s Director) shared: “NVDay was inspired by the need for better leadership in Ghana. Our founders did something great for Ghana and we also mark September 21 by doing things for our citizens, communities and country”. On December 5, 2013, the Ghana Volunteer Program program (GVP) was created by GhanaThink to run National Volunteer Day and match volunteers to volunteer opportunities. Even though September 21 became Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day, it is still National Volunteer Day. Join us for #NVDay21.

Some info about the first couple of years is on Wikipedia. Since 2013, an average of 80 activities have happened annually around Ghana, across the 10+ regions with 1000s of volunteers and bigger numbers of beneficiaries. These are planned by NGOs, groups like Rotary, Rotaract, Lions and Leo clubs, groups of friends, different associations and individuals. The impact on the volunteers and beneficiaries was massive and was captured on social media. The DRRD (National Coordinator) for Rotaract Ghana, Huda Ibrahim mentioned: “For me, volunteerism is about making use of my skills and resources for positive community outcomes, whiles developing myself in the process. I give a part of myself to others and I gain something more in return – friendships, professional development and lots of fun”

In 2020, due to the covid pandemic, many did not volunteer physically due to various restrictions, health and safety concerns. However, we saw that many institutions and individuals donated to the needy or less privileged. We celebrated volunteers and encouraged activities that do not involve a lot of people gathering, especially blood donations.

Volunteering through #NVDay has enabled several people to gain leadership, teamwork, and other skills because they are given opportunities to learn on the job. This is similar for many Volunteeringh opportunities all year round for people in Ghana. There are so many examples of #volunteeringh activities one can do. Eleanor Asare (a GhanaThink and part of the first Ghana Volunteer Program team) has leveraged it to build the CSR Hub. Kuukuwa Manful started SociArchi after leading about 40 people to build a playground for a school in Accra. Sampson Deklu (the Partnerships lead for Barcamp Ghana) started volunteering and is now running #ThousandFor1000.

For 2021, we are encouraging more people to raise funds to support the needy. We are driving for more blood donations. Head of Donor recruitment, Southern Zonal Blood Centre, David Dodzi Ahiadzro stated: “Your selfless gift of blood on this National Volunteer Day will put a smile on that person you never get to know in your life but who will be eternally grateful to you”. Since the general public is more used to the covid pandemic and can volunteer more safely, they will organize or join activities planned for the month of September. #NVDay21 is the hashtag to share what people are doing, engage, konnect, etc.

Several volunteer activities are being led by the National Blood Service, Ghana as this NVDay initiative seeks to drive more blood donations in 2021. Several Rotaract Clubs in Ghana () are also organizing activities in multiple locations around Ghana. Leo & Lions Clubs in Ghana are pushing childhood cancer awareness while participating in multiple volunteer and charity events. School. Several Rotaract and Leo Clubs in Ghana have gained new members through people volunteering with them during NVDay. Several people volunteered for the first time during National Volunteer Day and continue to volunteer. Many people have found internships and jobs from networking at volunteeringh activities.

GhanaThink is run by more than 100 volunteer members. The Ghana Volunteer Program is run by a team made up of – William Osilaja-Boampong, Enock Nyamador, and Gerald Sowah. They are ably supported by GhanaThink’s executive team, especially Ato Ulzen-Appiah & Seyram Ahiabor. Various teams of GhanaThink members in different towns support this team in localized activities, etc. Our GhanaThink members are some of the most influential young Ghanaians who have excelled in their various fields of endeavours.

See activities in 2021 via http://volunteeringh.org (this also has organizing tips & https://bit.ly/NVDay21Facebook. Can’t volunteer? There are various donation drives you can support, you can also support the organizers of these activities financially by engaging them. You can support financially through GVP by donating via ExpressPay expressPay (NVDay) or via mobile money.
The Charter President of Accra Ubuntu Lions Club who doubles as the Online Lead, GhanaThink Foundation is Seyram Ahiabor. Seyram stated: “Volunteering is a life transforming engagement. No only do you put smiles on the faces of beneficiaries, but you impact generations and communities with your little contribution of your time, talent and treasure.”

My Version Of Living In A “High Risk” Country.

  I know this article will make a lot of people ask a lot of questions as to where my loyalty lies, whether for Ghana or another country. But i want them to know that i am loyal to Ghana my Motherland and will forever cherish being a Ghanaian. Current events concerning the relations between the United Kingdom and Ghana has really prompted me to write this article. One will ask the question, is Ghana really a “High Risk” country as we are being tagged by the UK Government? In my opinion the answer is yes, and i will give reasons why Ghana is a “High Risk” country. This article is therefore my version of living in a “High Risk” country.

First of all, why will the citizens always appeal to the President to intervene anytime there is a problem in a certain sector? Those assigned to do that job might as well be sleeping on the job and what are they being paid for at the end of the month. Does the President always have to intervene before the right thing is done? Why did he appoint his ministers? Why should it be very difficult for graduates to get jobs after completion of their tertiary education? If you don’t know any influential person or a big man somewhere forget about securing a job on merit. Why should some health providers connive with certain pharmacy shops to make fictitious claims for NHIS payments and when detected only to turn around and accuse the investigating body of “witch hunting”. I  live in a country where some immigration officials connive with illegal immigrants for them to enter the country illegally, they in turn coerce some of the traditional rulers with substantial amounts of money and these chiefs also give out portions of land for these illegal immigrants to engage in illegal mining. These people end up polluting our water bodies and degrading the environment. No action is taken until someone decides to go undercover and brings out video evidence before action is taken. We have political leaders who are reactionary just to please their supporters and win votes but not for the interest of the masses. I live in a country where promises are made to people during election time but action is taken immediately the people embark on violent demonstrations burning tires and fighting pitched battles with the police just to demand for the fulfillment of the promises made to them. I live in a country where MPs are paid hefty sums of money, but when workers agitate for better salaries and working conditions, the Government tells them that the country is broke, and takes them to the negotiating table and succeeds in deceiving them again by giving them more promises. With all these and many more “High Risk” things i could not mention going on in my country, i feel they were right in giving us that tag  as a “High Risk” country. Your comments are welcome, God bless Mother Ghana.

Easter Is Here Once Again, Did Jesus Christ Die In Vain?

Once again, Christians all over the world are celebrating the death and resurrection of their Savior Jesus Christ of Nazareth that happened some 2000 years ago. Its a season where you see almost all Christians with solemn faces and attitudes just to show that they are sorry for their sins and repentance is the keyword in all the sermons preached during this season. In Ghana, we commemorate the Easter Season with church activities, conventions, crusades, Bible talk shows and Gospel music festivals all over the country. Most people also find their way to Kwahu in the Eastern Region and celebrate the season with so much pomp and pageantry, as a paragliding festival has been added  on just to make the Kwahu Ridge attractive to both Ghanaian and foreign tourists. This goes a long way to generate some revenue for the development of the area. Others also travel to their various  hometowns just to celebrate the season with their relations. But the question i ask myself is, “Did Jesus Christ die in vain?”. This is because, these same people commit all sorts of sins and crimes against their fellow human beings and during Easter pretend to be very remorseful, but just after the Easter season, they go back to their sinful ways. God is indeed a merciful God. Our politicians are the worst pretenders as they will go to most of the churches and worship with the congregation and behave sanctimoniously, but end up lying to the people and not fulfilling promises that they have made to them. This is also the time people move to the various orphanages and donate several items. But do we have to wait till a festive season before we do acts of charity? It should be done all year round, and not for fame or to gain favor in the eyes of the general populace. We should not as Christians make it look like the death of Christ on the cross at Calvary was in vain, lets do the right things, and stop the cheating, corruption, bribery, taking sexual favors from young ladies before giving them jobs, stealing from state coffers, extorting money from innocent unemployed graduates, visa racketeering etc etc. Lets pray for our country Ghana during this Easter Season and make a good meaning out of the death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. I might sound like a preacher, but i would like to hear a big amen from all my readers. God bless and protect us all, amen.

How Tigo Can Help Ghanaians Derive More Value From The Internet

Tigo, one of the telecommunication companies in Ghana has done more for its clients in terms of voice data and their numerous initiatives and services. But as we all know, currently the competition for a major stake in the mobile internet sector is very hot and keen. So if a telecommunications company is to be ahead of the rest, then it needs to make sure Ghanaians derive more value from the use of the internet. More people now use their mobile phones to browse the internet more than the use of Personal Computers and laptops.

Tigo can take advantage of the mobile internet platform by introducing more flexible data plans for mobile phone users who browse the internet using their network. To a customer when he or she is using a product he or she would like to derive more benefits from that product, and this would encourage him or her to spread the good news about the product to more prospective clients.

Tigo can introduce  special packages during Easter, Christmas, Ramadan, Independence Day and other National holidays in Ghana for their internet users to enable them browse for an unlimited period during these festivities and holidays.

Tigo could also help Ghanaians derive maximum value from the internet by beating down  their internet cost or charges. This would give their clients more browsing time and they would be able to do more research and learn more from the internet.

Tigo should educate their clients on the use of their internet portal, and how to make good use of the internet. This could be done by the intensification of its advertisements both in the print media and the electronic media. This would make the public get a good grasp on the use of the internet on the Tigo network.

Tigo also needs to upgrade its infrastructure so as to enable their subscribers get more access and connectivity to their internet service. This can be done by upgrading their 3.5G modems to 4G for high speed data transmission and reliability. This would give the opportunity to businesses that put much premium on voice, video and data technologies to provide better services to their clients, as they are able to get access to more bandwidth.

Tigo would also need to put in place measures that would attract the older generation to the use of the internet. This could be done by coming out with advertisements that appeal to the older generation both in the print and electronic media. Attractive internet packages could also be shaped just for the older generation so as to whip up their interests in the use of the internet. Special programs could be designed for them via the Tigo internet portal so that they could easily access their pensions with mobile phones. This would cut down the stress they have to go through before they take their monies at the end of the month.

Most of the educational institutions can be helped by Tigo if they offer them flexible data plans for their research centers . The Ministry of Education can also come into partnership with Tigo and help in the teaching of ICT in the basic schools and also in the senior high schools all over the country. When all these and the many others not mentioned here are done by Tigo, we as Ghanaians can derive more value from the internet, and we would keep on smiling because we have got Tigo.

References

• Tigo Internet Portal
• Google Search
• Internet Users in Ghana

 

 

 

 

 

We Don’t Need This In Ghana.

This is what happens to people when there is war in a country. Pictures they say speaks a lot. My fellow Ghanaians, lets reflect on this picture.

The Origin Of The Term “Boycott”.

A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons. It can be a form of consumer activism.

The word boycott entered the English language during the Irish “Land War” and is derived from the name of Captain Charles Boycott, the land agent of an absentee landlord, Lord Erne, who lived in Lough Mask House, near Ballinrobe in County Mayo, Ireland, who was subject to social ostracism organized by the Irish Land League in 1880. As harvests had been poor that year, Lord Erne offered his tenants a ten percent reduction in their rents. In September of that year, protesting tenants demanded a twenty five percent reduction, which Lord Erne refused. Boycott then attempted to evict eleven tenants from the land. Charles Stewart Parnell, in a speech in Ennis prior to the events in Lough Mask, proposed that when dealing with tenants who take farms where another tenant was evicted, rather than resorting to violence, everyone in the locality should shun them. While Parnell’s speech did not refer to land agents or landlords, the tactic was first applied to Boycott when the alarm was raised about the evictions. Despite the short-term economic hardship to those undertaking this action, Boycott soon found himself isolated — his workers stopped work in the fields and stables, as well as in his house. Local businessmen stopped trading with him, and the local postman refused to deliver mail.

The concerted action taken against him meant that Boycott was unable to hire anyone to harvest the crops in his charge. Eventually 50 Orangemen from Cavan and Monaghan volunteered to do the work. They were escorted to and from Claremorris by one thousand policemen and soldiers, despite the fact that the local Land League leaders had said that there would be no violence from them, and in fact no violence materialized. This protection ended up costing far more than the harvest was worth. After the harvest, the “boycott” was successfully continued. Within weeks Boycott’s name was everywhere. It was used by The Times in November 1880 as a term for organized isolation. According to an account in the book “The Fall of Feudalism in Ireland” by Michael Davitt, the term was promoted by Fr. John O’Malley of County Mayo to “signify ostracism applied to a landlord or agent like Boycott”. The Times first reported on November 20, 1880: “The people of New Pallas have resolved to ‘boycott’ them and refused to supply them with food or drink.” The Daily News wrote on December 13, 1880: “Already the stoutest-hearted are yielding on every side to the dread of being ‘Boycotted’.” By January of the following year, the word was being used figuratively: “Dame Nature arose…. She ‘Boycotted’ London from Kew to Mile End” (The Spectator, January 22, 1881).

Girlcott is a neologism that combines “girl” and “boycott” to focus on strictly female boycotts. The term was coined in 1968 by American track star Lacey O’Neal during the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, in the context of protests by male African American athletes. Speaking for black women athletes, she advised that the group would not “girlcott” the Olympic Games, because female athletes were still focused on being recognized. It also appeared in Time magazine in 1970, and was later used by retired tennis player Billie Jean King in reference to Wimbledon, to emphasize her argument regarding equal play for women players.

The term girlcott was revived in 2005 by a group of young women in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania protesting what they deemed sexist and degrading T-shirt slogans on Abercrombie & Fitch merchandise. Courtesy: Wikipedia.

The Ballot Box.

Ghana has once again demonstrated to the whole world that, the African can manage his own affairs. Many were those who wished doom and destruction for the country as the 2012 general elections were approaching. The international media and our own domestic media houses were always predicting some level of chaos and violence once the time was getting closer to the election day. But due to the prayers and steadfastness of Ghanaians, and the security agencies nothing untoward happened on the election day. The election passed off peacefully and it was described by both foreign and domestic observers as free and fair despite the minor incidents that usually characterizes elections. Ghanaians were so eager to exercise their constitutional right to the extent that some of them went to form long queues the day before the elections. Those who could not endure the long wait had to resort to the use of stones, cooking utensils, sticks and other implements to denote their positions in the queues, so as to come back the next day and find themselves still in the queue. Some parents also asked their children to form the queues on their behalf. On the voting day, things went on smoothly despite the breakdown of some of the verification machines with some areas in the country having to vote the next day. All the parties agreed to this measure which was taken so as not to disenfranchise eligible voters. The various political parties had their polling agents stationed at all the polling centers and vigilance was the keyword. The various media houses were not left out as they had reporters all over the country to give updates on the situation at the various polling stations. Security was at its best, and i must commend all the security agencies for the professional manner in which they conducted themselves. There was some level of tension as the results were trickling in from the various collation centers into the Electoral Commission’s Strong Room for the Chairman to certify them. At one point a particular party was leading and its supporters were jubilating, at another point the tide turned and the other side also started jubilating. But when the final results were declared by the Electoral Commissioner, the looser was contesting the outcome and has decided to challenge some of the figures. Are Ghanaians willing and ready to continue electing their leaders from the Ballot Box? My answer would be in the affirmative as a result of what has been witnessed since the return to constitutional rule in 1992. To all those Members of Parliament who take their constituents for granted and wait till election time before they do something for them, the Ballot Box will determine your fate in the next four years, so you must hit the ground running. We have only one Ghana, let us maintain and preserve the peace that we are currently enjoying. Some branding for the country on Ghana being peaceful would help project the country, and i hope the authorities and civil societies would be reading this piece. God bless Ghana my homeland, amen.