Category Archives: Ghana Volunteering
There are fundraisers and then there are fundCHANGERS.
What’s the difference?
Well for one, fundraising usually goes in one direction. It is raising money to give to a good cause and help benefit the work they do. They’re great, but I struggle with the whole ‘patronizing’ aspect of them as well as the ‘give and forget’ problem it usually creates.
FundCHANGERS on the other hand go both directions. What I mean by that is although money is raised to...
So I came across this cool site today called Information Is Beautiful; a site that basically takes ideas, issues, knowledge, data, and visualizes it. For a visual learner like me, this was a bit like discovering treasure at the end of a rainbow!
An interesting one I came across was a look at the scientific evidence for popular health supplements. The way the visual below works is that the higher the bubble is, the stronger the scientific evidence that the supplement helps...
Written By: Carissa Vados
As kids in a developed country such as Canada, we are taught to dream. Dream big, use our imaginations, paint a thousand pictures of what it is we want to be when we grow up. A doctor, lawyer, teacher, business owner… the possibilities are endless. I even knew a kid who wanted to become a house. We dream so big sometimes we don’t even understand when we’re out of scope. Our parents, grandparents, teachers and role models not only allow but...
Earlier today, excitement was at an all time high as I finally unveiled the ‘Invest In OpporTOONIEty’ Investment Choices to all those who invested in the initiative. Investors were presented with 3 potential investment choices, and were asked to give their thoughts on whether they were worth investing in. They are challenged to justify why they think the choices are/are not worth investing in, as well as to state whether they believe any one investment should be...
Now during my time here I have been emphasizing the slogan, "Think Opportunity, Not Charity." I’ve made some challenging remarks against charities, some which many may not have been welcomed.
I hope you will allow me to state my perspective through a fictious, yet possible, story…
Imagine a farmer here in Bongo; we’ll call him Alfred. For the past year Alfred has realized that in order to increase his productivity he needs to get a donkey cart....
During my first months in Ghana, one of the toughest challenges for me was making friends. Now for those of you who know me well, this might seem hard to believe; however, the truth is that here I find there are two types of Friend-Ships (“Hey look over there, it’s the Friend Ship!” – A corny line usually used in improv games when you’re stuck and have no idea what to say!).
The first ship is one where the people just love meeting and conversing with other...
Now I’ve been throwing the word ‘opportunity’ around a lot these days, and well I thought I would add a little bit more context to it. The statement “opportunities for all” isn’t exactly encouraging to here with the way the world is going right now; however, if we really take a minute to think about, we’ll see how it’s not the problem in our society, it’s the solution!
First off, as we struggle through a recession, day after day jobs are lost and...
It’s official… on August 31, I will be heading back to Bongo where I will continue my efforts in breaking borders and building opportunities!
Unfortunately, due to the circumstances of the situation, in order to return to Ghana I was told that I’d have to fund my own flight back. After living off a modest stipend of $12/day for the past 8 months, this has certainly created a bit of a challenge. Now in order to stick to my firm belief in “Think Opportunity, Not...
Every year, Engineers Without Borders holds a Get Outside Your World Contest, which challenges students to share their vision of the world through a short video, photos, or an essay. Areeba was the Grand Prize winner for her video entitled, “The World We Live In”…
As her prize, a few of us volunteers overseas were asked to create a video for Areeba about what life is like on the other side of the world. Our team in the Upper East Region decided to...
From My Mind
Imagine you could change the world with 2 words. Well you can, and it's simply your name. Your name not only defines you, but it represents YOUR thoughts and interests... thoughts that lead to actions, and interests that drive passion... it's these very elements that shape the world we see today. We are all part of this; each and every one of us in our own unique way. What you are about to read is a collection of my thoughts and interests... my attempts to change the world...
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