Volunteers and Donations

VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers mean everything to an NGO like ours! Most of what we have achieved so far, from building our school to creating awareness about corporal punishment, and even designing this website, has been possible thanks to the help of amazing people from all over the world who have unconditionally granted us their time, ideas and excitement. If you've read this far, it already means there is a will in you to make a difference, so continue reading... you won't regret it!

Who can volunteer for EVANG?
In EVANG, we welcome every human being with a will to help us out! Nonetheless, and because the world can't always be butterflies and rainbows, the following requirements must be met by anyone wishing to join us ON THE FIELD (Ghana):

Candidates aged 16 or younger must travel under the supervision of an adult (+18).
Candidates must prove that they are have initiative, are tolerant, respectful with others, capable of adapting to new environments and able to think critically.
Candidates must be able to cover their own expenses, including VISA, flights, housing, food, medical insurance and any other travelling expenses. We will guide you on how to achieve this in the most economic way, but we are NOT capable of funding volunteers during their stay.
Candidates must undergo a interview where both the candidate and the NGO will become familiar with each other, ensuring that the above conditions are met.

Why is EVANG's volunteer programme so special?
As an EVANG volunteer, you will not only be told what to do, you must also decide and create a path for yourself. We believe that our volunteers are there because they have something to share with the Ghanaians, and there is no one better then themselves to decide how to do that in the best, most effective way possible.

What projects can I get involved in?
Projects vary widely from year to year, and while teachers are welcome all year round to teach at the schools in Keta (Volta Region), the projects proposed by new volunteers, as well as the existing ones are bound to change. Therefore, your best option is to simply contact us and we will get to you ASAP with all the information available. Nonetheless, to fulfill your curiosity, during the summer of 2015 we kept ourselves busy with:

Medical assistance at the local hospital
Medical checkup campaign
Beach sports (football, gymnastics, capoeira, baseball, etc.)
EVANG Summer Camp
Teacher training and seminar sessions

DONATIONS

Did you know that... for the amount of money you spend on buying coffee and toast one morning, you could probably provide a Ghanaian child with two whole meals?
So now that I made you feel guilty, the donations' button is down below... just kidding! ;).
We know that donating money to NGO's has its risks now a days, but for those of us who really appreciate the value of money and know how and where to use it best, donations can help us survive during the biggest storm (both literally and metaphorically!). I
Maybe you've hear about us through a friend, a family member or a volunteer, and maybe you want to contribute with the cause, but don't have the time or resources to come visit us in Ghana. If so, your way to go might be through a donation. And to ease your mind, you may choose to receive a follow up on where your money has been spent. Thank you!!

One Dollar a Day
For $1.00 a day, one student can afford a day-worth of education at Future Leaders Academy along with a decent meal. If you wish to make it a monthly contribution, all you have to do is click on the link to the right, set the amount you wish to contribute, and make it a monthly contribution. Thank you for trusting in us!

Other Donations
If you want to make a single contribution to EVANG, select the amount (in $) after clicking on the PayPal link below, and then send us an email specifying your contribution and where you want it to be invested. To learn about the different projects we are involved in, click here. Thank you for trusting in us!

Volunteers' Testimonials

Because there is nothing like sharing experiences, we have created this section where you can read about the stories of the various volunteers that have joined us in this exciting adventure...

Kailey Morin

"I spent the summers of 2010 and 2012 volunteering in the Volta Region of Ghana. My first summer there I was placed in a school, like most schools in Ghana, where corporal punishment was an acceptable practice. Watching the children, in my own perspective, being abused in a place they should be protected, was extremely difficult for me. As newcomers to a culture and country we are told we should not intervene in local practices, which is something I always try and abide by. So I left Ghana, mesmerized by the beauty of the place but saddened by the many harsh realities the children there lived by.

During my second time living in Ghana in 2012 I was introduced to Christian Platini Ashiagbor (but just Platini to most) through a friend who knew my interests in social justice in the country. My time spent with Platini was some of the most enlightening moments of my volunteering experience. He insisted that culture should never be confused with harmful practices and was adamantly against using corporal punishment on students and children. He also is an outspoken advocate fighting against the rampant sexual abuse that frequently occurs between teachers and their female students.

He invited me to visit his school – a pilot project to prove to the government, teaching professionals, and local community alike, that African children can flourish in a violence-free school setting. And oh, do they flourish. The atmosphere at Platini’s school is nothing more than magical. The children are positively reinforced, gently reproached when they make mistakes, and are taught kindness by the leadership in the classroom.

Beyond this, Platini ensures that each child harbours a sense of self-worth despite their beginnings. I remember one afternoon a child had not been sent to school with a lunch by the man who took over guardianship after his parents had both died. Platini sent the teacher to purchase a lunch with his own money, not just for the necessity of food for the child, but so he would not face the quiet stigma of being the only one without a lunch that day.

Platini is a visionary and his school is a treasure. If you have the opportunity to support his organization and school, whether through donation or volunteerism, I highly recommend that you do. He is singlehandedly changing the face of education and social work in Ghana, but he needs all of our help to do it."
- Kailey Morin

Joshua McKamie
"Platini is one of the most incredible individuals I've ever had the chance to meet. I was in Ghana volunteering with an orphanage and several schools when I first saw Platini being interviewed on TV talking about EVANG and the work he does advocating for the children of Ghana. I contacted him and asked to meet. While Ghana is a beautiful place with extremely friendly people, the realities of life for many of the children I was working with was shockingly harsh and bleak. Meeting someone like Platini who has committed his life so fully to advocating for the most vulnerable of his society was a refreshing and inspiring experience.
The next year, Platini organized and guided a group of four medical students, including myself, on a two week volunteer trip around Ghana. He made all the arrangements for us, including food, lodging, and transportation. We stayed in a very comfortable home in his home village where delicious Ghanaian meals were prepared for us each day. Throughout the trip, he exposed us to both the rich cultural heritage of Ghana and the ways in which him and others are working to protect and nurture the next generation of Ghanians. One of the highlights of the trip was volunteering at Platini’s small pilot school, which is proving that the children of Ghana thrive in a violence-free academic setting.

I would strongly recommend anyone who is considering visiting Ghana to do so through Platini and EVANG. He is an extremely trustworthy and inspiring individual. I hope to work with EVANG extensively in the future."
- Joshua McKamie

Pablo Ahijado

When I finished my biotechnology degree last summer of 2013, I had no clue what to do with my life. It was then when I came into contact with Platini and EVANG. I took a huge leap of faith and decided to join him in Keta, where I would teach biology, math and computer class to 270 junior high school students, and basic education methods to the staff and head mistress of the school. Little did I know that those 3 months would change my life forever...
Volunteering for a cause like this is never easy, but that is not why you embark on such an adventure to begin with. I volunteered because I was lost, I couldn't find the path that would take me to do the great things I had pictured myself doing one day. But during my stay in Ghana, I not only discovered a new culture and a new way of looking at the world, but I also discovered myself to such an extent that I surprised myself doing and saying things that I had never thought could come from me.
You will listen to everyone talking about Platini, both throughout this webpage and all around Ghana. And there is one good reason for that; Platini has had the guts and courage to do what nobody has been able to do, fight the system using just his words, and defend children's rights even when the whole country was against him. For that, we owe him a huge respect, and it is for people like him that we must act.

Today, I work shoulder to shoulder with Platini to make this beautiful project flourish. Ever since I came back from Keta, I have been building this website for you, the future volunteer, so you are given the same opportunity that has been given to all of us in EVANG... the opportunity to change the lives of others while changing our own, and to do something so meaningful that it'll feel like you are changing the world. Because, maybe... you are.
- Pablo Ahijado