About the Program
Bring your accounting or economics skills and join this project for
Microfinance for Economic Empowerment in Ghana. The local team has
already supported over 200 Ghanaian women improve their lives.
Providing disadvantaged communities a means of gaining financial
independence and stability, this project works mainly with groups of women.
With small businesses focused on a range of activities from food selling to
sewing the project is helping to offer the women security for their
futures.
The micro-finance initiative offers two approaches to lending; micro-finance
cash loans and micro leasing, where a rental fee is paid for an item such as a
sewing machine. Loans are rarely given to the poorer people in society as they
have no collateral meaning that they struggle to find ways to escape the
poverty trap. Micro-finance is a proven way of not creating millionaires, but
increasing the standard of living for those who need the most help. Join this
micro-finance project to see how it works in the real world. Learn about
the challenges facing the borrowers and micro-finance institutions that are
making this a viable lending option for many.
Why choose this project?
You will want to join this Microfinance for Economic Empowerment
project as an accounting, economics or international development
student to gain a much better understanding of how micro- finance actually
works. The team needs you to help with the book keeping and accounting
aspects of the role, which are ever increasing as the project grows in size.
Come and support the local team with these essential activities.
Role of the volunteer
The role of volunteers is discussed with you each Monday morning when a team
meeting is held to review the needs of the project for the coming week. Much of
the work will require computer time, spent mainly on spreadsheets, so a good
grasp of Excel will be useful. With the team, you will review the
many applications received from potential beneficiaries to identify who
meets the eligibility criteria. You may find this challenging when there seem
to be so many good reasons to lend to everyone.
You may be asked to write proposals for extra funding for the project so
that more funds can be secured, enabling the project to reach out to more
members of the community. This project will certainly enable you to help with
the day-to-day tasks and improve your understanding of this global initiative
to increase lending access to the more disadvantaged members of society.
Skills Required
If you have a passion for finance, banking or lending you should apply
for this Microfinance for Economic Empowerment project. Volunteers should have
good Excel skills, as this is a key tool used on this project. Soft
skills you should have include flexibility, openness and a willingness to work
with others, as these are important attributes for this project. Volunteers are
expected to come with ideas and be willing to share those with the project team
in a constructive manner.
Can I use this program as part of a college or university placement?
It
is certainly possible to use one of OGVO’s programs as part of your
university or college placement. Project staff can sign off any
paperwork required by your course tutors. OGVO regularly receives
medical, childcare, psychology and nursing placement students at our
projects across Ghana and we have ties with some of the leading
universities.
If you’re a course tutor and would like further
information about how one of OGVO’s programs could meet the placement
requirements for your degree course then please contact us directly.
Location
Ghana is a peaceful and welcoming country; Ghana satisfies one's appetite for both modern and traditional life. Its wide valleys, low-lying coastal plains, and thick rainforests resound with the beat of traditional rituals, while her cities glow and vibrate with all the bustle of the modern world. The Ghanaians are the friendliest people in West Africa: warm, proud yet humble with a contagious and calming sense of funniness.
Ghana is hot. It is always hot. What’s more, it's always humid. Humidity usually lingers between 95 and 100 percent. The rainy season lasts from mid-June to mid-November - sometimes. The rain provides a little respite from the intense heat, but temperatures will still be in the mid-80s Fahrenheit. The south of the country experiences the heaviest rainfall during September.
