Let’s Get Handwashing Facilities to Ghana!!
Donation protected
1. Introduction
Hello everyone! This is International NGO ViVID. We are Japanese non-governmental organization in February 2020 based in Ghana, West Africa. Working in Sekyere village, Ghana, where our executive director has been supporting since 2011, we aim the outcome-oriented community development by
"Inclusion" × "Participatory development" × "Partnership",
holding the mission, "Constructing International Development Community Centers —for Inclusive and Sustainable Development in Africa".
Currently, ViVID is operated by six members as listed below. Our activity is based on the principles which vary on members’ initiative so that we can make the best out of each member’s colors and experiences. We usually communicate online because we have a few members in the United States and Europe as well as Japan! (There are our self-introductions below.)
Due to the world crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, the spread of the infection is concerned in the community where we support. There, the poverty rate is very high that people can not afford to take any effective measures for the virus and have no choice but to continue their lives as if nothing happened. We, ViVID takes this situation seriously. Thus, we have suspended our initial project on community development and urgently started a project “Fight COVID-19 with ViVID”. We are working on it with midwives and nurses at Sekyere Health Center to take measures against COVID-19 to prevent any infection in the community.
2. Background
A. Ghanaian government policy on COVID-19: "Border closing → lockdown → the fastest lockdown lifting in Africa" ..... Why?
While the virus has been spreading out in Asia and Europe initially, the Ghanaian government's initial response was very quick. As soon as a person who came back from Europe was confirmed that he had been infected, the border was closed, and entries of foreign tourists were suspected. Unfortunately, the number of infected people in Ghana is increasing day by day as in other countries, and on March 30th the government finally announced that the two biggest cities, Accra and Kumasi, were going to be locked down. Lockdown had some positive effects as an infectious disease measures in Asian and European countries; therefore, the Ghanaian government followed in the same way. However, unfortunately it contributed to worsen a social problem to Africa. On April 20th, the Ghanaian government became the first country that announced to lift the lockdown in Africa, even though the number of infections and the increase rate were rising. The "social problem to Africa" here means ...
"poverty"
Most people in Ghana work in the informal sector, including private shops and drivers. The Ghanaian government was unable to adequately provide people with compensation and allowances while enforcing the lockdown policy. As a result, the town had become full of day laborers who tried to cover the cost of living for the day, suffering poverty. It must have been tough for the government to make a decision when they had to support the laborers while they were in need of the measures against COVID-19.
B. The location and situation in Sekyere, the community we are supporting. What is the reaction of residents to COVID-19?
First of all, please watch this YouTube video!
This is a video when our administrative and operational manager, Sion Bang, visited the community Sekyere. You can see the visit report in English from here if you are interested.
Sekyere is a small village with a population of 5,000, located on the outskirts of Kumasi, the second-largest city in Ghana. Speaking of public facilities, there are only five schools, a clinic, a police station and a fire station in this village. The relationship between us and the community has continued since the founder of our organization, Katsumi Kurata visited in 2011. It became a partner community when the organization was formally established in February 2020.
This is a photo album (January 2) taken by the founder Katsumi Kurata during his stay in Ghana.
While the Ghanaian government lifted the lockdown with a tough decision of whether taking "Measures to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus or measures against hunger," there are some voices from the community saying that "If the infection spreads further in Ghana where the medical system is vulnerable, it could lead to a collapse of the medical system, so the government should have continued the lockdown until the increased rate and the number of infected people subside."
C. Current situation of infectious disease prevention measures in the Sekyere community
Sekyere does not have a water supply system. While handwashing is indispensable for measures against infectious diseases, only three wells have been installed in Sekyere, and it is not possible for all people in the community to wash the hands with clean water by turning on a faucet which is common in developed countries.
Fortunately, there is no infected people in Sekyere at the moment, but multiple people have been infected in the neighboring community. We would like to set up simple handwashing facilities that are accessible to all residents of the Sekyere community so that they can fight this crisis without being infected by the coronavirus.
３. Project: Fight COVID-19 with ViVID
A. The plan for the project: Setting up the simple handwashing facilities
The residents of Sekyere use water from the well to cook, wash the clothes and hands. They sometimes need to use the same water for washing dishes and hands, thus, it is not possible to wash hands always with clean water. Therefore, we would to set up about 20 simple handwashing facilities called veronica buckets (explained below) at the spots where many people come such as
-Taxi station
-Market
-Health Center
By doing so, we will provide the environment that all the residents can wash hands whenever possible. Sekyere is the geographically isolated community from the neighboring communities. It is necessary to use a taxi when they need to move to the near towns, thus, we believe it will be a very effective measure to wash hands at the taxi station. Also, by providing the handwashing station in public spaces such as the market or health center, it will promote public awareness about infectious diseases. Lastly, we will donate the buckets to public facilities or set them up at school after the coronavirus converges so that they can use the buckets as a part of hygiene education.
About Veronica Buckets
A veronica bucket is a simple handwashing facility, with a large bucket with a lid and a faucet. This bucket is set up at public facilities such as schools, hospitals, and churches in the area where the infrastructure is undeveloped in some countries in Africa so that people can wash hands with running water. However, there are no such facilities at all in Sekyere, therefore, residents can not wash their hands with running water.
Actually, this Veronica bucket is a simple handwashing facility invented by a local Ghanaian named after Veronica Bekoe! In Ghana, it's often found in shopping centers, hospitals, schools, and government agencies, where water access is not enough. The Government of Ghana is instructing the public to wash their hands well with a veronica bucket in order to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
B. Report on the funding project “Fight COVID-19 with ViVID”
We fundraised to support the Sekyere Health Center, the only medical institution in the Sekyere community so that it can properly conduct medical activities. This clinic was established by Japan's ODA and carries out treatments for general illnesses of residents, regular medical examinations, and childbirth. However, Sekyere Health Center suffers from chronic financial difficulties, therefore, not only preventive measures against COVID-19 infection but also basic medical systems had not been established. Thus, as a measure against COVID-19, we first prepared the basic medical system at Sekyere Health Center by donating about $185 and purchasing the following medical supplies:
- A blood glucose meter
- Blood glucose test strip
- Hairnets
- Disinfectants
- Medical tissue
-Surgical suture
- Bandage
- Bags to wrap chemicals
- Hand sensitizer
- Masks
- Washing powder
Please take a look at our Facebook page for the latest report on the project.
Sekyere Health Center: Founded by Japanese ODA!
The Sekyere Health Center plays a role to take countermeasure to prevent the coronavirus outbreak in the community When our organization's founder Katsumi Kurata stayed in Sekyere in 2011, he worked as an intern to treat malaria patients and assisted childbirth at this clinic. To our surprise, there is a boy named "Katsumi" in Sekyere. The child's mother gave the name because the baby was born in the health center founded by Japan's ODA and it was the first time for Katsumi Kurata to experience the assistance of childbirth. Katsumi Kurata says, "It is my secret dream to go to see the boy 'Katsumi' in Sekyere with my own child when I become a father in the future."
“Katsumi” in Sekyere and his mother
C. Schedule of the project
April 19 - May 1: Started fundraising for the joint project “Fight COVID-19 with ViVID with Sekyere Health center
May 1〜：fundraising for the project “Fight COVID-19 with ViVID”
May 16th：Started crowdfunding
Mid May：Setting up the veronica buckets
June 14：Finish the crowdfunding
Beginning of July：Provide the report and return for the donor
D. Budget
① 20 simple handwashing facilities (Planned)
- Veronica buckets: $18.7 x 20 = $374
- Stands (to put the buckets on): $14 × 20 ＝$280
- Tub：$14× 20 ＝ $280
- Transportation costs: $9.3
- Soap: $0.373 × 2000 = $746
----------------------------------------------------------------
Toal: $1690 (one simple handwashing facility : $46.7)
② Expenses of project activities＋other expenses
- Expenses of project activities = $224.2
- Labor costs for the staffs^_^ in Ghana = $467
----------------------------------------------------------------
Total: $691.2
① + ② + costs on money transfer ($46.7)＝ $2,428
GoFundMe transaction fee (2.9%) = $70.4
Settlement fee ($0.30 per donation) = $3
Total：$2500
※The above is the project budget. We have received reports from the community that the market price has fluctuated significantly due to the influence of COVID-19. Therefore, please note that it might be a slight difference between the budget and the results of the project. If we receive more donation than the budget, we will use it for another project of our community development. In addition, please be noted that even if there are not enough donations from the crowdfunding, we will continue to raise funds on our website.
E. About returns
A. $10
- Letter of appreciation
B. $30
- A letter of appreciation
- An e-mail on the activity report
C. $50：(which makes it possible to purchase a handwashing facility)
- A letter of appreciation
- An e-mail on the activity report
D. $100 (which makes it possible to purchase two handwashing facilities)
- A letter of appreciation
- An e-mail on the activity report
E. $300：(which makes it possible to purchase six handwashing facilities)
- A letter of appreciation
- An e-mail on the activity report
- Your/your organization’s name will be written down on a veronica bucket
F. $500：(which makes it possible to purchase ten handwashing facilities)
- A letter of appreciation
- An e-mail on the activity report
- Name and the message on veronica buckets will be written down
G. $1,000：(which makes it possible to purchase ten handwashing facilities)
- A letter of appreciation
- An e-mail on the activity report
- Your/your organization’s name will be on our official website for a year as an official supporter.
4. About an international NGO ViVID
A. Introduction of members
ViVID is an international NGO consist of seven Japanese members, who live in Japan, the United States, and Europe, and we have been working online. To make the most of each member's personality and experience, we carry out activities with a policy that puts emphasis on the independence of each member.
Katsumi Kurata (Cofounder and Executive Director)
I love traveling very much, and so far I have visited seven countries in West Africa, East Africa, and Southern Africa. While studying at the University of London, SOAS, I was studying African studies, international development studies, and Swahili. At the international NGO ViVID, I would like to work with the members to develop the local community by seeking better results through “Inclusion” × “Participatory development” × “Partnership”.
Sion Bang（Cofunder and Administrative and Operational Manager）
I like learning and working with people from various backgrounds. I have participated in various activities such as the Model United Nations Conference in New York, volunteering in Cambodia, and traveling to Ghana. At university, I study sustainable development by majoring in international relations and minoring in environmental studies. Wanting to get involved in the field of community development, I joined ViVID from December 2019.
Marina Amoah（External Communication and Global Partnership Manager）
Like the founder, I love traveling and learning new languages. I’m studying Twi, one of Ghana's main languages as well. As a coordinator for international cooperation at JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), I connect local stakeholders (industrial/ academic/ public sector) and JICA to promote and strengthen people’s awareness in international cooperation. I am glad to contribute to Ghana by all means, which I have a strong interest in, thus, I started to work as a new member of ViVID in the last April.
Haruhi Ashida (Community Support Manager)
I like children and I love traveling. I majored in urban development in university, and while having an interest in the community, conducting volunteer activities for children both at home and abroad. I am interested in participatory community development and started to work as a new member of ViVID from April!
Yuka Akashi (Financial Affairs Manager)
I am interested in improving the quality of education in underdeveloped areas. I have begun to take actions comprehensively not only from education field but from various directions through ViVID and a few other international cooperation student groups. I am currently studying in the United States, but I would like to support ViVID and its projects by doing whatever I can do remotely no matter where I am in the world!
Machi Shiiba (Development and Research Analysis Manager)
I like living and working in an environment with diverse people. Currently, I am studying global challenges especially public health from various perspectives at university. I have been interested in community development for a long time and started to work as a new member of ViVID in April.
B. Five Philosophies of Organization
Please look at our logo. Do you know why we used blue, yellow, red, green, and orange? The five colors mean philosophies of our organization!
Transparency: We always try to enhance transparency through our projects as much as possible. In order to enhance the transparency that we believe,
a. we make sure that donations and subsidies do not contribute to corruption and bribery of government officials or authorities of the community. Instead, we make sure if the funds are openly used at the right time in the adequate projects and we will try to publicize the impact of projects to meet the needs of the targeted communities.
b. we always try to publish the purpose, contents, and results of each project and even the processes of the decision making in the project.
c. we will carry out our projects by recording and publishing the progress in the way that the third-party can validate
Through the three measures above, we believe we can get understanding from community members and stakeholders, which allows us to implement more efficient and effective development projects for community development.
Independence & Equitability: We always work independently as a non-governmental organization apart from any religious or political entities. We are intolerant of any external pressure in decision making and operate based on the Vision and General Principles of our organization. In addition, we will always treat community people equally and equitably regardless of their age, sex, nationality, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability, and religious and political beliefs.
Community-based activity: In all our activities, we always keep in our minds we try to listen to voices from people of the supporting communities and work together with respect and care. We respect the social structure and values which have already existed in the communities and plan and carry out projects from the perspective of community people for the communities. We believe that it is most essential to gain trust from community members in community development. We aim to become an organization loved by all the community members.
Sustainability: We address various problems that the communities are facing by each field (such as famine/poverty, water/nutrition, education, sanitation, health care/social welfare, gender, agriculture, environment, and energy) and develop targeted communities in a sustainable way that meets the needs of future generation while pursuing the wealth of community and protecting the environment.
Accountability: Accountability, which our organization defines, is not merely explaining the finances in accounting, but reporting the details of plans, contents, and results of the projects to all people and organizations that have direct and indirect relations to our organization, including communities, stakeholders, funding entity and more. We strive to gain an understanding of the purpose of our projects from all people by clearly stating the underlying thoughts on actions and decision-making.
C. About our organization slogan "Colorful life for All!"
We aim to enhance the quality of life (QOL) of all community members including vulnerable people, such as infants and toddlers, children, women, elderly people, persons with physical/mental disabilities, and unemployed people. We set the slogan ‘Colorful life for All!’ to carry out development activities to realize everyone’s vivid and colorful life.
D. What is One Team Project?
In our ViVID Village and our targeted communities, as One Team Project, we partner up stakeholders who have been solving social problems originally in different regions and development fields with various skills and experiences, and all we work together multilaterally and strategically for community development as a “One Team”.
Please refer to the organization website and SNS for further information and reports of activities.
- Website: International NGO ViVID
- Facebook: International NGO ViVID
- Twitter: ViVIDVillageJPN
- Instagram: vividvillagejp
6. Finally...
World Health Organization (WHO) warned that there is a possibility that up to 44 million people could get infected and 19 million people could die because of COVID-19 in Africa in the first year of the pandemic if there are no effective measures taken by the governments.
In Ghana, the government cannot take the best effective measures because of financial reasons. Therefore, there is a high possibility that the COVID-19 will impact severely in Ghana as the WHO warned. It is common knowledge now that ‘washing hands with clean water and soap’ is the most effective measure that can be taken by individuals. However, people in Sekyere can't wash hands regularly because the water supply system is not equipped at the moment. By setting the veronica buckets (simple handwashing stations), we will promote effective measures against COVID-19.
It is a difficult time for everybody, but together, we can fight COVID-19! We would like to thank you for your support and cooperation.
Hello everyone! This is International NGO ViVID. We are Japanese non-governmental organization in February 2020 based in Ghana, West Africa. Working in Sekyere village, Ghana, where our executive director has been supporting since 2011, we aim the outcome-oriented community development by
"Inclusion" × "Participatory development" × "Partnership",
holding the mission, "Constructing International Development Community Centers —for Inclusive and Sustainable Development in Africa".
Currently, ViVID is operated by six members as listed below. Our activity is based on the principles which vary on members’ initiative so that we can make the best out of each member’s colors and experiences. We usually communicate online because we have a few members in the United States and Europe as well as Japan! (There are our self-introductions below.)
Due to the world crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, the spread of the infection is concerned in the community where we support. There, the poverty rate is very high that people can not afford to take any effective measures for the virus and have no choice but to continue their lives as if nothing happened. We, ViVID takes this situation seriously. Thus, we have suspended our initial project on community development and urgently started a project “Fight COVID-19 with ViVID”. We are working on it with midwives and nurses at Sekyere Health Center to take measures against COVID-19 to prevent any infection in the community.
2. Background
A. Ghanaian government policy on COVID-19: "Border closing → lockdown → the fastest lockdown lifting in Africa" ..... Why?
While the virus has been spreading out in Asia and Europe initially, the Ghanaian government's initial response was very quick. As soon as a person who came back from Europe was confirmed that he had been infected, the border was closed, and entries of foreign tourists were suspected. Unfortunately, the number of infected people in Ghana is increasing day by day as in other countries, and on March 30th the government finally announced that the two biggest cities, Accra and Kumasi, were going to be locked down. Lockdown had some positive effects as an infectious disease measures in Asian and European countries; therefore, the Ghanaian government followed in the same way. However, unfortunately it contributed to worsen a social problem to Africa. On April 20th, the Ghanaian government became the first country that announced to lift the lockdown in Africa, even though the number of infections and the increase rate were rising. The "social problem to Africa" here means ...
"poverty"
Most people in Ghana work in the informal sector, including private shops and drivers. The Ghanaian government was unable to adequately provide people with compensation and allowances while enforcing the lockdown policy. As a result, the town had become full of day laborers who tried to cover the cost of living for the day, suffering poverty. It must have been tough for the government to make a decision when they had to support the laborers while they were in need of the measures against COVID-19.
B. The location and situation in Sekyere, the community we are supporting. What is the reaction of residents to COVID-19?
First of all, please watch this YouTube video!
This is a video when our administrative and operational manager, Sion Bang, visited the community Sekyere. You can see the visit report in English from here if you are interested.
Sekyere is a small village with a population of 5,000, located on the outskirts of Kumasi, the second-largest city in Ghana. Speaking of public facilities, there are only five schools, a clinic, a police station and a fire station in this village. The relationship between us and the community has continued since the founder of our organization, Katsumi Kurata visited in 2011. It became a partner community when the organization was formally established in February 2020.
This is a photo album (January 2) taken by the founder Katsumi Kurata during his stay in Ghana.
While the Ghanaian government lifted the lockdown with a tough decision of whether taking "Measures to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus or measures against hunger," there are some voices from the community saying that "If the infection spreads further in Ghana where the medical system is vulnerable, it could lead to a collapse of the medical system, so the government should have continued the lockdown until the increased rate and the number of infected people subside."
C. Current situation of infectious disease prevention measures in the Sekyere community
Sekyere does not have a water supply system. While handwashing is indispensable for measures against infectious diseases, only three wells have been installed in Sekyere, and it is not possible for all people in the community to wash the hands with clean water by turning on a faucet which is common in developed countries.
Fortunately, there is no infected people in Sekyere at the moment, but multiple people have been infected in the neighboring community. We would like to set up simple handwashing facilities that are accessible to all residents of the Sekyere community so that they can fight this crisis without being infected by the coronavirus.
３. Project: Fight COVID-19 with ViVID
A. The plan for the project: Setting up the simple handwashing facilities
The residents of Sekyere use water from the well to cook, wash the clothes and hands. They sometimes need to use the same water for washing dishes and hands, thus, it is not possible to wash hands always with clean water. Therefore, we would to set up about 20 simple handwashing facilities called veronica buckets (explained below) at the spots where many people come such as
-Taxi station
-Market
-Health Center
By doing so, we will provide the environment that all the residents can wash hands whenever possible. Sekyere is the geographically isolated community from the neighboring communities. It is necessary to use a taxi when they need to move to the near towns, thus, we believe it will be a very effective measure to wash hands at the taxi station. Also, by providing the handwashing station in public spaces such as the market or health center, it will promote public awareness about infectious diseases. Lastly, we will donate the buckets to public facilities or set them up at school after the coronavirus converges so that they can use the buckets as a part of hygiene education.
About Veronica Buckets
A veronica bucket is a simple handwashing facility, with a large bucket with a lid and a faucet. This bucket is set up at public facilities such as schools, hospitals, and churches in the area where the infrastructure is undeveloped in some countries in Africa so that people can wash hands with running water. However, there are no such facilities at all in Sekyere, therefore, residents can not wash their hands with running water.
Actually, this Veronica bucket is a simple handwashing facility invented by a local Ghanaian named after Veronica Bekoe! In Ghana, it's often found in shopping centers, hospitals, schools, and government agencies, where water access is not enough. The Government of Ghana is instructing the public to wash their hands well with a veronica bucket in order to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
B. Report on the funding project “Fight COVID-19 with ViVID”
We fundraised to support the Sekyere Health Center, the only medical institution in the Sekyere community so that it can properly conduct medical activities. This clinic was established by Japan's ODA and carries out treatments for general illnesses of residents, regular medical examinations, and childbirth. However, Sekyere Health Center suffers from chronic financial difficulties, therefore, not only preventive measures against COVID-19 infection but also basic medical systems had not been established. Thus, as a measure against COVID-19, we first prepared the basic medical system at Sekyere Health Center by donating about $185 and purchasing the following medical supplies:
- A blood glucose meter
- Blood glucose test strip
- Hairnets
- Disinfectants
- Medical tissue
-Surgical suture
- Bandage
- Bags to wrap chemicals
- Hand sensitizer
- Masks
- Washing powder
Please take a look at our Facebook page for the latest report on the project.
Sekyere Health Center: Founded by Japanese ODA!
The Sekyere Health Center plays a role to take countermeasure to prevent the coronavirus outbreak in the community When our organization's founder Katsumi Kurata stayed in Sekyere in 2011, he worked as an intern to treat malaria patients and assisted childbirth at this clinic. To our surprise, there is a boy named "Katsumi" in Sekyere. The child's mother gave the name because the baby was born in the health center founded by Japan's ODA and it was the first time for Katsumi Kurata to experience the assistance of childbirth. Katsumi Kurata says, "It is my secret dream to go to see the boy 'Katsumi' in Sekyere with my own child when I become a father in the future."
“Katsumi” in Sekyere and his motherC. Schedule of the project
April 19 - May 1: Started fundraising for the joint project “Fight COVID-19 with ViVID with Sekyere Health center
May 1〜：fundraising for the project “Fight COVID-19 with ViVID”
May 16th：Started crowdfunding
Mid May：Setting up the veronica buckets
June 14：Finish the crowdfunding
Beginning of July：Provide the report and return for the donor
D. Budget
① 20 simple handwashing facilities (Planned)
- Veronica buckets: $18.7 x 20 = $374
- Stands (to put the buckets on): $14 × 20 ＝$280
- Tub：$14× 20 ＝ $280
- Transportation costs: $9.3
- Soap: $0.373 × 2000 = $746
----------------------------------------------------------------
Toal: $1690 (one simple handwashing facility : $46.7)
② Expenses of project activities＋other expenses
- Expenses of project activities = $224.2
- Labor costs for the staffs^_^ in Ghana = $467
----------------------------------------------------------------
Total: $691.2
① + ② + costs on money transfer ($46.7)＝ $2,428
GoFundMe transaction fee (2.9%) = $70.4
Settlement fee ($0.30 per donation) = $3
Total：$2500
※The above is the project budget. We have received reports from the community that the market price has fluctuated significantly due to the influence of COVID-19. Therefore, please note that it might be a slight difference between the budget and the results of the project. If we receive more donation than the budget, we will use it for another project of our community development. In addition, please be noted that even if there are not enough donations from the crowdfunding, we will continue to raise funds on our website.
E. About returns
A. $10
- Letter of appreciation
B. $30
- A letter of appreciation
- An e-mail on the activity report
C. $50：(which makes it possible to purchase a handwashing facility)
- A letter of appreciation
- An e-mail on the activity report
D. $100 (which makes it possible to purchase two handwashing facilities)
- A letter of appreciation
- An e-mail on the activity report
E. $300：(which makes it possible to purchase six handwashing facilities)
- A letter of appreciation
- An e-mail on the activity report
- Your/your organization’s name will be written down on a veronica bucket
F. $500：(which makes it possible to purchase ten handwashing facilities)
- A letter of appreciation
- An e-mail on the activity report
- Name and the message on veronica buckets will be written down
G. $1,000：(which makes it possible to purchase ten handwashing facilities)
- A letter of appreciation
- An e-mail on the activity report
- Your/your organization’s name will be on our official website for a year as an official supporter.
4. About an international NGO ViVID
A. Introduction of members
ViVID is an international NGO consist of seven Japanese members, who live in Japan, the United States, and Europe, and we have been working online. To make the most of each member's personality and experience, we carry out activities with a policy that puts emphasis on the independence of each member.
Katsumi Kurata (Cofounder and Executive Director)
I love traveling very much, and so far I have visited seven countries in West Africa, East Africa, and Southern Africa. While studying at the University of London, SOAS, I was studying African studies, international development studies, and Swahili. At the international NGO ViVID, I would like to work with the members to develop the local community by seeking better results through “Inclusion” × “Participatory development” × “Partnership”.
Sion Bang（Cofunder and Administrative and Operational Manager）
I like learning and working with people from various backgrounds. I have participated in various activities such as the Model United Nations Conference in New York, volunteering in Cambodia, and traveling to Ghana. At university, I study sustainable development by majoring in international relations and minoring in environmental studies. Wanting to get involved in the field of community development, I joined ViVID from December 2019.
Marina Amoah（External Communication and Global Partnership Manager）
Like the founder, I love traveling and learning new languages. I’m studying Twi, one of Ghana's main languages as well. As a coordinator for international cooperation at JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), I connect local stakeholders (industrial/ academic/ public sector) and JICA to promote and strengthen people’s awareness in international cooperation. I am glad to contribute to Ghana by all means, which I have a strong interest in, thus, I started to work as a new member of ViVID in the last April.
Haruhi Ashida (Community Support Manager)
I like children and I love traveling. I majored in urban development in university, and while having an interest in the community, conducting volunteer activities for children both at home and abroad. I am interested in participatory community development and started to work as a new member of ViVID from April!
Yuka Akashi (Financial Affairs Manager)
I am interested in improving the quality of education in underdeveloped areas. I have begun to take actions comprehensively not only from education field but from various directions through ViVID and a few other international cooperation student groups. I am currently studying in the United States, but I would like to support ViVID and its projects by doing whatever I can do remotely no matter where I am in the world!
Machi Shiiba (Development and Research Analysis Manager)
I like living and working in an environment with diverse people. Currently, I am studying global challenges especially public health from various perspectives at university. I have been interested in community development for a long time and started to work as a new member of ViVID in April.
B. Five Philosophies of Organization
Please look at our logo. Do you know why we used blue, yellow, red, green, and orange? The five colors mean philosophies of our organization!
Transparency: We always try to enhance transparency through our projects as much as possible. In order to enhance the transparency that we believe,
a. we make sure that donations and subsidies do not contribute to corruption and bribery of government officials or authorities of the community. Instead, we make sure if the funds are openly used at the right time in the adequate projects and we will try to publicize the impact of projects to meet the needs of the targeted communities.
b. we always try to publish the purpose, contents, and results of each project and even the processes of the decision making in the project.
c. we will carry out our projects by recording and publishing the progress in the way that the third-party can validate
Through the three measures above, we believe we can get understanding from community members and stakeholders, which allows us to implement more efficient and effective development projects for community development.
Independence & Equitability: We always work independently as a non-governmental organization apart from any religious or political entities. We are intolerant of any external pressure in decision making and operate based on the Vision and General Principles of our organization. In addition, we will always treat community people equally and equitably regardless of their age, sex, nationality, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability, and religious and political beliefs.
Community-based activity: In all our activities, we always keep in our minds we try to listen to voices from people of the supporting communities and work together with respect and care. We respect the social structure and values which have already existed in the communities and plan and carry out projects from the perspective of community people for the communities. We believe that it is most essential to gain trust from community members in community development. We aim to become an organization loved by all the community members.
Sustainability: We address various problems that the communities are facing by each field (such as famine/poverty, water/nutrition, education, sanitation, health care/social welfare, gender, agriculture, environment, and energy) and develop targeted communities in a sustainable way that meets the needs of future generation while pursuing the wealth of community and protecting the environment.
Accountability: Accountability, which our organization defines, is not merely explaining the finances in accounting, but reporting the details of plans, contents, and results of the projects to all people and organizations that have direct and indirect relations to our organization, including communities, stakeholders, funding entity and more. We strive to gain an understanding of the purpose of our projects from all people by clearly stating the underlying thoughts on actions and decision-making.
C. About our organization slogan "Colorful life for All!"
We aim to enhance the quality of life (QOL) of all community members including vulnerable people, such as infants and toddlers, children, women, elderly people, persons with physical/mental disabilities, and unemployed people. We set the slogan ‘Colorful life for All!’ to carry out development activities to realize everyone’s vivid and colorful life.
D. What is One Team Project?
In our ViVID Village and our targeted communities, as One Team Project, we partner up stakeholders who have been solving social problems originally in different regions and development fields with various skills and experiences, and all we work together multilaterally and strategically for community development as a “One Team”.
Please refer to the organization website and SNS for further information and reports of activities.
- Website: International NGO ViVID
- Facebook: International NGO ViVID
- Twitter: ViVIDVillageJPN
- Instagram: vividvillagejp
6. Finally...
World Health Organization (WHO) warned that there is a possibility that up to 44 million people could get infected and 19 million people could die because of COVID-19 in Africa in the first year of the pandemic if there are no effective measures taken by the governments.
In Ghana, the government cannot take the best effective measures because of financial reasons. Therefore, there is a high possibility that the COVID-19 will impact severely in Ghana as the WHO warned. It is common knowledge now that ‘washing hands with clean water and soap’ is the most effective measure that can be taken by individuals. However, people in Sekyere can't wash hands regularly because the water supply system is not equipped at the moment. By setting the veronica buckets (simple handwashing stations), we will promote effective measures against COVID-19.
It is a difficult time for everybody, but together, we can fight COVID-19! We would like to thank you for your support and cooperation.
Organizer and beneficiary
International NGO ViVID
Organizer
Bellevue, WA
Katsumi Kurata
Beneficiary