Students sign agreement on aiding persons with disability

Two University of Ghana Student Groups have signed partnership agreement with the Samuel Wellington- Botwey (SWEB) Foundation to support persons with disabilities.

The AIESEC branch of the University, signed up a deal package worth about GH?19,000 to cover engagement of international interns and promoting initiatives, such as SWEB brand ambassadors, campus events, and time with SWEB geared, towards helping the foundation tackle disability concerns and raise funds.

The Leadership of ENACTUS, in a separate move, also agreed in a deal to support the Foundation with technical assistance to achieve its core objectives under a Mushroom Project hailed as MUSHLIFE, to enhance conditions of persons with disabilities who are directly involved in the project.

Both groups champion excellent leadership development and entrepreneurial action to transform economies and improve living conditions.

The organisations, in the Memorandum of Understanding setting out the working arrangements, agreed that each of the partners are necessary to complete the Foundation’s Mushroom Project and also project initiatives by SWEB to alleviate the plight of disabled people in Ghana.

“By this Memorandum, we agree to work together in the true spirit of partnership to ensure that there is a united, visible and responsive leadership of the Project and to demonstrate the financial, administrative and managerial commitment to the project,” Mr William Dennis, President of Enactus, said.

He said the Group would provide the requisite training, marketing plans and monitoring techniques to ensure the successful completion of the Mushroom project, aiming to engage many youth with disabilities.

Executive Director of SWEB Foundation, Mr David Norden Botwey, expressed gratitude to the Students’ leadership for partnering with the Foundation to deliver public service to disabled persons, who were largely marginalised and excluded from many important national issues.

He appealed to corporate organisations and individuals to support the Foundation in varied ways to mitigate physical, social and economic barriers challenging persons with disability in the country and to ensure an inclusive society where nobody was excluded from benefiting from national resources.

Under the agreement, SWEB Foundation would use AIESEC’s global internship programme to bridge its human resource gap by getting access to innovative and young talented individuals to help carry out its development agenda.

The Foundation would be provided with 20 international English speaking interns from across 126 countries to work for six months to one year, while the brand ambassadors would be the face of SWEB’s services and promote its 10-K Patrons initiative on campuses.

The 10-K Patrons Project is an initiative by SWEB, aimed at recruiting 10,000 individual and corporate donors to support the activities of the Foundation to carry out projects and programmes to mitigate barriers facing persons with disability.

It is to position SWEB as a top brand Ghanaian disability-focused institution among AIESEC’s global network of partners and other competitors as a firm supporter of entrepreneur and innovative leadership development of youth with disabilities.

AIESEC is a global youth network that provides young people with leadership development and cross-cultural internship and volunteer exchange experiences across, with a focus to empower young people so they can make a positive impact on society.

It was originally an acronym for Association Internationale des Étudiants en Sciences Économiques et Commerciales but today it is no longer used as an acronym but simply as the name of the organisation.

ENACTUS is also is an international youth organisation that works with leaders in business and higher education to mobilise university students to make a difference in their communities, while developing the skills to become socially responsible business leaders.