UPDATES ON GLOVO ACTIVITIES

Friends, donors, partners and well-wishers, we sincerely apologize for our inability to periodically update you on the goings-on in GLOVO. The past months have been very eventful and the organization was confronted with a myriad of administrative and logistical hitches. That notwithstanding, management left no stone unturned to make sure the organization flourished from grace to grace. Management believes that keeping you abreast of the happenings in GLOVO periodically will help you know the current state of affairs in GLOVO.

In July this year, the Executive Director of Morningstar Family Ministries in Canada paid a working visit to GLOVO in Ghana. As part of her itinerary, she and her team visited rural communities in GLOVO’s catchment area in the Agona West Municipality to donate clothing, footwear and other personal effects to children in these remote areas. 

 She also visited the GLOVO Academy and made some donations of learning materials to the pupils. Dr. Ferber also had time with the kids at the Maristan Home at GLOVO Village. Prior to her departure, a dinner was held for GLOVO Directors and their wives at a restaurant where a second Board meeting was also held to discuss ways of strengthening the ties that exist between GLOVO and Morningstar. Earlier in her visit, the GLOVO Executive had a Board meeting with the Morningstar boss on ways of reviewing the partnership agreement between GLOVO and Morningstar.

As part of the discussions, the partners considered the need to expand the clinic project and also build a new foster home at the village. Indeed, GLOVO management is grateful to Dr. Ferber and her organization for the continuous support to GLOVO and Ghanaian rural communities.

On volunteering, the Welwarts volunteers for the 2014/2015 ended the one-year voluntary internship service in July. Prior to their home country, Germany, GLOVO Management had a one day post- internship seminar for the volunteers. Management evaluated their work and presented certificates to the volunteers for their hard work. These volunteers did very well to support activities in their respective project areas. Some of them roofed and painted classroom blocks, some established libraries for their school and others raised funds to support ongoing infrastructure development at their project sites.

The five volunteers have since returned home safely. Since old seeds give birth to new seeds, after the departure of the volunteers new volunteers arrived in Ghana from Germany to begin a one-year voluntary internship programme with GLOVO.  A one-week orientation seminar was held for these fresh volunteers to empower them with the requisite knowledge and attitude needed for the internship programme. After the seminar, they were assigned to host families and mentors. Since then, they are already working hard at their project areas.

We invite students and people who are interested to volunteer in Ghana to select GLOVO as a formidable receiving organization which provides avenues for young people to explore other

parts of the world. We have what it takes to host you and to offer you the requisite platform you need for effective volunteering. Both short and long term volunteers are welcome to our fold. You can also explore Ghana through GLOVO for our internship policies and charges are very flexible. 

Our school, GLOVO Academy, began the new academic year in the second week of September this year to mark the beginning of the 2015/2016 academic year. The Academy is currently at stage six. The stage six classroom was made habitable through the assistance of Morningstar Family Ministries and Franzi, an immediate past volunteer from Germany. The school can now boast of a total student population of over 200 pupils yet the school bus can carry less than 20 pupils at a time. This is a source of concern as the low carrying capacity of the bus hampers punctuality to school and effective academic work. Besides, the congestion in the bus is a recipe for disaster. The school has a employed a new effective school Headmistress to steer the affairs of the school. The clinic is also working hand-in-hand to support the health needs of pupils in the school.

We wish you to remind you that some of the GLOVO kids still need sponsorship before they can go to school or make ends meet. Be a helper and a cheerful donor. 

LAST QUARTER PROGRESS REPORT ABOUT GLOVO 2014

LAST QUARTER PROGRESS REPORT ABOUT GLOVO

We updated you on the happenings about GLOVO in August this year, more particularly on the celebration of our 5^th Anniversary. Since then much has been done and as loyal partners, we need to inform you on the progress and developments that had taken place spinning from the latter part of August this year till now. Glory and honour be to the Most High God for his constant support and direction in circumstances where the human mind could not find solutions. He paved way for Management and through thick and thin a lot of progress has been recorded.

As part of her annual visit to Africa, and Ghana in particular, the Executive Director of Morningstar Family Ministries visited GLOVO in connection with her Personal Secretary, Crystal. As part of their working schedules, they furnished the newly constructed GLOVO clinic at the GLOVO Village. In fact, the clinic is fully stocked with drugs, equipment and gadgets which are needed in every modern clinic. Management in collaboration with the Municipal Health Directorate is in the process of getting a hardworking trained nurse to manage the facility. In the interim, the clinic will operate as a Sick Bay and will later be upgraded to a standard clinic by the government. Dr. Carmen Ferber visited the Maristan Home to check on the well being of the kids and the caregivers. She was impressed about what she saw and pledged to raise support to build more of such facilities to accommodate homeless kids and orphans. The Director of GLOVO led Dr. Ferber to visit some of the GLOVO kids in the remote areas where she made some donations to the kids. Some of the villages visited include Domokyi, Brahabekum, Kwasikum, Fante Bawjiase, Otwekrom to mention but a few.

Another historic event that took place was the clearance from the Tema Port a consignment of some school furniture and computers and accessories to set up a computer lab for the Academy. However, there is no permanent room where these computers can be set up. It is therefore a matter of urgency for management to make this passionate appeal to all friends of GLOVO to come to our aid to build a facility to enable us set up the lab so that the purpose for sending them will be realised.

GLOVO chalked another success in the period under review. We organised a wonderful GLOVO Kids’ Camp, first of its kind in the annals of the organisation. All the GLOVO kids, far and near were invited to join their friends at the Maristan Home for the celebration. Management in connection with volunteers designed memorable programmes which included fun games, clean up exercises, colour work, health talk, learning German language, weaving and others. The programme lasted for four days. Management wishes to make this programme an annual event and will include non GLOVO kids to also participate and benefit from the good things the programme offers. Mobilisation, feeding and lodging come with a cost and we therefore open our doors for donations and sponsorship of the camp so as to make it bigger next year.

The organisation hosted one of its best friends and donors, Judith, in September this year. In fact, words cannot describe our gratitude to Judith for the selfless moves she has taken to support GLOVO in diverse ways to ensure that the organisation expands rapidly. She was like an Administrative Secretary to the Director of GLOVO and suggested many important things to help develop GLOVO. She was very much impressed about the development she saw at GLOVO and pledged to strive to get donors to support GLOVO project. She and the Director of GLOVO were interviewed on Crystal TV in Ghana on the activities of GLOVO and this has really helped in publicising GLOVO nationally and globally.

Thomas, the Director of World View, a non-governmental German volunteering organisation, also paid GLOVO a working visit in September to familiarise himself with the activities of GLOVO. A memorandum of understanding was signed between GLOVO and World View on ways of partnership in volunteering services. Thomas was so happy and impressed about GLOVO’s activities and considered it a viable partner in the volunteering work. He pledged to work assiduously to ensuring that his organisation sends volunteers to work for GLOVO in Ghana. After his departure, two volunteers from World View were sent to work for GLOVO. Tommy, we say thank you for considering us a worthy partner.

GLOVO Academy re-opened in September after the long vacation to begin a new academic year. Few admissions were made; new teachers were appointed to replace those who have got the opportunity to volunteer in Canada, Tanzania and elsewhere. We also received more volunteers to serve as Teaching Assistants in the school. The school is growing but it faces infrastructural challenges. Two classes were temporarily housed under canopies inside an uncompleted building. It was through the effort of Franzi, a volunteer who is working in the school, that funds were raised to roof the rooms which are now habitable. Franzi is so passionate about her work and wishes to go extra mile to support GLOVO project. Indeed, she is a real team player and we wish other volunteers will emulate her shining example to support their project areas. The school’s Soccer Team emerged overall winners of the Municipal Private Schools’ Soccer Competition where they thrashed their opponent 3-0 to lift the golden trophy at stake. We would be glad if you could donate some sporting kits to our team to boost their training and morale.

We cannot end this quarterly report without mentioning anything about the reception of our first ever Welt warts volunteers on 29^th August this year. It was all joy when they met at the arrival lounge at the airport. Prior to their coming, GLOVO management organised series of workshops for mentors, Project Supervisors and host families on how to handle the volunteers with care. The five GLOVO volunteers received are Marie, Kira, Lena, Sophie and Franzi. They were given a one-week orientation on different subjects to enable them adapt to the Ghanaian ways of living. The seminar was informative and educative though there could have been some pitfalls. You can also give it a trial and GLOVO will orient you to feel at home and your volunteering experience will be thrilling and cruising. We wish well in this festive season and would be grateful if you could charitably donate something in cash or kind to brighten the faces of these teaming less privileged kids in our care. God bless you!

GLOVO TEAM 2014  

GLOVO @ 5

GLOVO CELEBRATES ITS 5^TH ANNIVERSARY

GLOVO celebrated its 5^th Anniversary on 24^th June, 2014 after its registration and operation five years ago. The organisation which started on a low note in a small office at a corner somewhere in Agona Swedru has grown and is known globally as a reputable non-governmental organisation. This recognition stems from the fact that the organisation has upheld its integrity with its foreign partners and transparency has been the organisation’s hallmark. We have adhered strictly to our core vision, mission and values and without any shred of doubt that we have not deviated from our objectives upon which we were given the certificate of incorporation and commencement. We have remained resolute in the past five years to give hope to the hopeless, the orphaned, the deprived, the under privileged and kids with disabilities.

Glorious Kids

This year’s celebration was marked at the GLOVO Village, the Head Office of the organisation where the Director of GLOVO Mr. Williams Yirenkyi met with the staff and the kids at the Village to have a fun fair. It was all jollity and merry making. The director used the occasion to recount the bitter and turbulent times the organisation has passed through and urged the staff and the kids to share in the vision of the organisation so that together we create an organisation which is livelier than one’s biological family.

Glovo Clinic

Many organisations fold up after one year in existence but through the dint of hard work, determination and God’s favour, GLOVO has grown from strength to strength. Over the past five years, the organisation has not relented in its effort in providing educational support to over one hundred highly deprived children. We did this by enrolling some of these kids for the first time in schools; providing over one hundred kids with school uniforms and assorted educational materials, among others. Similarly, we supplied about 40 pieces of computers and accessories to seven Basic Schools in the Agona East and West Local Assemblies. The aim was to help teachers and kids alike to have access to information which is a recipe for quality teaching and learning.

Community Outreach

On health grounds, the organisation did very well by organising a blood donation exercise to get at least 200 pint of blood for the Swedru Municipal Hospital whose blood bank was in short supply of blood for dying souls. The programme was well patronised and the result was fantastic. Still on health, the organisation registered more than one hundred school kids and thirty parents at Asifaw in the Akwapim North District unto the National Health Insurance Scheme so that access to quality health care could be made possible and easier. A similar exercise was done at Biseadze in the Gomoa East District of the Central region where about one hundred and and seven kids were enrolled unto the Health Insurance Scheme to enjoy free health care. In the Agona West Municipality, the organisation this same health exercise for two hundred and fifty deprived kids. 

GLOVO also carried out rural outreach programmes sensitising rural dwellers to on teenage pregnancy, parental irresponsibility, school dropouts among others.

Henrike at work

Through the assistance of Morningstar Families ministries, GLOVO has built a big four- bedroom flat which is being used as the GLOVO Foster home giving protection and shelter for orphans and street kids at the GLOVO Village. At the Village, the organisation has built a school to provide quality and affordable education to kids at the home and the general public. A nice clinic has also been built waiting stocking, commissioning and operation.

Glovo  Academy

We cannot praise ourselves for these numerous feats chalked within this short period of time but the glory goes to the Most High, donors, and volunteers who in diverse ways have worked through thick and thin to sustain the project. Our achievements cannot be quantified since there will be no space to write down every epitome of work the organisation has carried out.

Our volunteering project is flourishing and every year we receive volunteers globally for both short and long term internship programmes and cultural exchanges. Why don’t you try GLOVO if you intend to do your volunteering programme in Africa and Ghana in particular? Most of our past volunteers will attest to the fact that we never let them down but we supported them throughout their stay in Ghana. Trust, respect, obedience and team work are all that we require of you to portray.

End of term examination

The organisation, as it keeps on expanding, is faced with numerous challenges among them is lack of funding for GLOVO projects. As we write this article, destitute girls and boys are knocking at our door pleading that we provide them with shelter and clothing yet the Foster Home cannot take kids beyond its capacity. We intend to build more homes at the Village to accommodate these teaming kids who need our help. We also need funding and donation for the inmates at the Home.

Similarly, the school at the GLOVO Village needs extra classrooms to properly accommodate the nursery and the kindergarten kids. We provided tent classrooms for them but the strong winds did not spare these innocent kids when it rained.

Beach time at Winneba

It is in this light that that management wishes to make this passionate appeal to you as an individual, church, corporate body, donor and lover of kids to stretch forth your hands to support these kids under our care either in kind or cash so that together we build a better future for these innocent but deprived children under our care. 

We say a big Thank You to Morningstar Family Ministries, Kultur-Life, AIESEC, our past Volunteers, donors and all well wishers as we celebrate this eventful day. GLOVO will not be complacent but will work assiduously to ensure that we care for the kids under our care and those children we are now welcoming with all our strength, mind and heart till they reach maturity.  Au revoir!!!

Glovo Team