Volunteer Stories: Contributing To Community Development through Education

Meet Michael Asante Okyere. He’s always believed that his name ‘Michael’ is associated with success looking at the likes of Michael Jackson, Michael Essien and others. Thus, by virtue of his name, he is determined to succeed and to help others too. “I want to guide young ones on the decisions they should make in order for them to succeed” He says. This is what he does as a teacher.

Michael has always loved to give time to help others. So, when the covid-19 outbreak happened and schools were closed, He did not give up. Instead, he chose to volunteer his time to help his students. He constantly visited his students to check on their wellbeing and to assure them. He also used his mobile device and phone calls to teach his students. Due to this, a lot of his students were always studying and kept abreast with the content of their syllabus.

This was not the only thing Michael volunteered to do. During the outbreak, the Fuo community grappled with the coronavirus outbreak. In response to this, Michael and his team developed nose masks and distributed them to community members free of charge.

Michael explains that the people in the community and their welcoming nature motivates him to give his time to help them. He recalls fondly “I remember my early days in the community when I was trying to find my feet, the people gave me free rides. They take interest in your wellbeing and are very supportive.”

In addition to the volunteering activities above, Michael also gives time as a soccer coach assisting students to polish their football skills. He remarks that the joy of teaching the kids is ‘fulfilling.’

Michael explains that some of the benefits of volunteering are it creates new opportunities for the volunteer to find and build healthy relationships in the community.

When he’s not teaching or volunteering, Michael reads to enhance his knowledge, practices French on Duolingo and spends time with his friends.

Article by Kofi Konadu Berko