WACSI Strengthens Enoch Mensah’s Fundraising Skills
Hope for Children and Aged Rehabilitation Centre located in Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region Ghana in West Africa was commissioned to combine measurement and actions in the medical and social field, to bring the physically challenged back in their optimal place in the society.
Enoch Mensah is one of the principal officers at the centre who has been working tirelessly to make this vision a reality. However, the centre has faced several daunting challenges with the inadequate finances to meet the growing needs of the facility topping the list.
“We were quiet and isolated… we lacked the confidence and ability to approach potential donors and relied so much on the overseas fund. The few donations we got was in kind mostly provisions for the upkeep of the inmates of the centre,” Mensah explained.
“I sharpened my communication skills; my confidence has been emboldened”
Through one of their overseas partners based in the Netherlands known as TEUS, Mensah got the opportunity to attend the Local Fundraising training under the Change the Game Academy Initiative funded by Wilde Ganzen and implemented by WACSI. This training enabled Mensah to acquire requisite skills to raise funds locally in Ghana.
“I sharpened my communication skills; my confidence has been emboldened by the “DARE TO ASK” element I learned from the training especially in approaching ‘big’ people and personalities”, Mensah recounts.
Mensah also honed his soft skills including interpersonal and communication skills. “I was able to control my mannerism and gestures as well as ways of articulating my thoughts and present them in a convincing manner,” he said.
More importantly, his fund-raising skills including proposal writing skills were also enhanced. Additionally, Mensah acquired the strategies needed to boost the brand and visibility of his organisation.
Thanks to WACSI, Mensah realised positive fundraising results
He asserts, “our organisational goal is to reduce reliance on foreign donors by mobilising domestic resources.” As such, with renewed confidence and enhanced fundraising skillset and techniques, Mensah changed his fundraising approach. Through this, he has been able to have meaningful engagements with a number of key personalities and agencies within his community including a local philanthropist by name of Sam Bennet, the Minister of Health and traditional authorities, but he has submitted strong proposals for funding which are yielding results.
“Through our proposals, we have received 5 acres of land from a local chief to build a centre for accommodating People with Disabilities (PWDs) patients and their relatives to have a place to sleep while undergoing rehabilitation. We have also embarked on a solar project to reduce the cost of electricity at a total cost of GHC125,000 and so far, we have realised 20% of the funding. The facility has also seen a 25% increase in patients/clients. Previously, the only people that patronised the facilities were referrals from doctors but nowadays we get direct patients/clients,” he admitted.
The centre is now widely known and recognised as a credible rehab facility for PWDs and other vulnerable groups
From a previously obscure position, the centre is now widely known and recognised as a credible rehab facility for PWDs and other vulnerable groups. Mensah alludes these achievements to the rebranding techniques including public sensitisation and publicity on their activities that they learnt from the training.
“We are now receiving more aged persons and children at the centre because people now know more about our activities and vision. Cash and in-kind donations have also increased as a result” he said.
