Educational Development Projects Trust
Volunteer with EDP Trust, Awutu-Winton High School, Ghana
We are seeking an ambitious individual with university degree to support the Project Manager in executing various tasks which contribute to the continual development and improvement of the Awutu-Winton Senior High School project.
Location
Awutu-Bereku, Republic of Ghana, with occasional visits to Accra, the capital city.
Duration
This is a full-time, 12 month position.
Organisation Background
Founded in 2009, Educational Development Projects (EDP) Trust is a U.K. charity (No. 1129398) which has founded, financially sustains, and manages the Awutu-Winton Senior High School (AWSHS) project. AWSHS is a recognised non-profit (D.S.W./4562), private secondary education institution (No. GES/CR/PSC/10/045) in Awutu-Bereku, Central Region, Ghana, whose mission is to provide high quality secondary education for free to the neediest youth in the local community, those who would otherwise not be able to afford to further their education. EDP Trust, through the AWSHS project, is dedicated to combating poverty in the immediate communities surrounding the project site through its innovative educational model which marries the best practices of Ghanaian and U.K. education systems.
AWSHS opened in September 2010 and is currently about to enter its sixth academic year with over three hundred students enrolled in General Arts, Business, or Home Economics programmes. AWSHS employs 30 Ghanaian staff, with 25 Graduate teachers who follow the Ghana Education Service syllabus in preparation for the WASSCE final examination. In addition to core academia, AWSHS has developed a Comprehensive Education Programme (CEP) to impart critical and practical knowledge, encourage innovative thinking and entrepreneurial endeavours, and ensure equitable access to quality education. AWSHS’ CEP includes five critical focus areas: academic integration; skill development; extracurricular activities; micro-enterprises; and internship/ apprenticeships.
Mission
You will report to the Project Manager and, with guidance from the Board of Directors, will be assisting the PM, and thereby the project, through a variety of means.
Job Description:
You will be responsible for assisting the Project Manager (PM) in overseeing all activities at Awutu-Winton Senior High School (AWSHS) and ensuring that every aspect of the school project is being conducted in accordance with EDP Trust’s values and visions.
You will work closely with the PM, who daily liaises with the Board of Directors in the U.K., and plays an active role in the development of all areas of the school, bringing your ideas and experience to discussions with the PM and AWSHS staff.
Specifically, you will divide your time accordingly amongst the following:
● IT
o Must be confident using all Microsoft Office programmes and able to convey this knowledge to teaching staff so that they can incorporate it in their lesson plans, as well as potentially training pupils
● Extracurricular and social enterprise
o You will be charged with overseeing many extracurricular activities at AWSHS, particularly student-led clubs. Although staff and student leaders are technically involved in their respective clubs, it is your duty to ensure that these key personnel are held accountable to their extracurricular responsibilities. Adequate monitoring and evaluation of each club’s progress is crucial to determine how these are operating and how they can be improved. This will certainly require excellent organisation and planning, ensuring transparency and mutual accountability. You will work to build-up integrated systems and procedures to ensure a more streamlined extracurricular activities element at AWSHS.
o Being an able swimmer is a bonus; we are currently in the process of constructing a swimming pool courtesy of the Princess of Monaco Foundation, and the programme of lessons will need to be coordinated.
o A keen interest in sustainable social enterprise is a must, as we have several schemes operating on site which need constant monitoring and supervision of student participation is essential
● Research & Development
o You will have the opportunity propose and initiate strategies for the development of AWSHS and EDP Trust which promote the coherent running of the project and optimise efficiency and available resources
o You will be welcome to research and encourage measures and procedures which will be beneficial for AWSHS and EDP Trust
● Managing basic accounts
o You will assist the PM in recording all disbursements in Excel and preparing them for the bookkeeper
● Reporting
o You will be expected to write a simple monthly report to send to the board/ charity coordinator with updates on news and progress at the school
o You will also be expected to have regular skype meetings with the Charity Coordinator. Due to current connection issues at the school/ volunteer house, these will probably have to happen when you travel to Accra; therefore the timings will be flexible
Compensation
EDP provides lodging and lunches at the school. In addition, there is a modest weekly living allowance and all travel expenses which are incurred on school business are also reimbursed.
All other costs including flights, vaccinations, visas, personal travel and entertainment will not be covered by EDP Trust.
Preferred Start Date: Immediate (due to illness one of our volunteers has dropped out and we are looking for someone to start as soon as possible).
**Previous applicants need not reapply
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If interested, please prepare a CV with an accompanying cover letter outlining your applicable skills and experiences, and submit these to with the subject line ‘volunteer application’.