Spotlight
Introducing Mona Kabuki Quartey ……
What are your views on sustainable funding of social needs in Ghana?
So, in recent times, community support has risen from local to almost global levels due to many factors but predominantly driven by technology and specifically, social media to get the word around and bring in the funds. I have witnessed on various occasions when an appeal for funds for either a funeral, a friend in need, a stranger in need and sometimes efforts to correct some social anomaly like rehabilitation of street kids, has spun into action and delivered some level of success.
However, what I’ve realized is that whatever the level of success for these crowd-funding campaigns, there’s a lack of “follow through” or “after care” (as it is described in the medical world), once the initial ‘need’ for the funding has been assuaged. Hence, I would like to see this gap addressed by focusing more on ‘sustainable’ funding.
What’s your view on social funding then? Do you think it’s more of a one-time event or like in the old days an ongoing event?
The old adage “it takes a village to raise a child” is my reason and mantra for focusing on the potential rich human resource of our nation Ghana. We all know that raising a child is not a one-time event and therefore it has become imperative to look at a sustainable process and targeted effort at tackling this need. This type of effort in the recent past, has been largely driven by the Public Sector and to a lesser extent the Private Sector of our economy (separate and/or in combination) as part of good governance and love for one another.
However, the results have not been impactful for various reasons. I would dare to suggest that lack of sustainable funding and donor fatigue are some of the primary causes of the impact failure. This lack and fatigue sets in when the problem appears overwhelming and there is no concerted and targeted effort to see it through to successful completion. I therefore believe that the motivational factors must be clarified to create a sustainable effort.
What do you think are the best motivational factors that may encourage/energise potential donors to support a social cause?
Whether it’s a selfish one or altruistic one does not matter in my opinion so long as it calls one to action for a cause that they are prepared to see to its logical end. For example, a one-time school fees payment, hospital payment etc is good but does not ensure success in solving a much bigger problem. I think that the ‘Big Brother or Sister’ programs have served most communities well but many times it loses its vim as the big brother or sister becomes busy with their own growing family life.
We have also seen social clubs made up of high net worth individuals, like the Rotary Club, Zonta Club and Lion’s Club to mention a few, do some incredibly good work in our society whilst at the same time having fun. I also find that the alumni support funding via social media is also effective in supporting on a need basis and is sustainable as has been proven by our own GC80 and other year groups that I am associated with.
I don’t have all answers, but I hope that this discussion gets us all thinking and will hopefully generate some creative ideas on how we can establish an environment for sustainable funding for some of the social causes that we would like to support. I believe it’s not about the destination but the miracles along the way.
Asides from ideas on sustainable funding, how else can one help?
Currently, I serve on The Mokasa Women’s Trust Foundation, which was formed in early 2017 to serve women and children across Ghana on a sustainable basis. The foundation approaches its work through a three- pronged approach: Education; Health Care; and Economic Empowerment. The website link is www.mokasagh.org and I hope that some of you would find time to browse and perhaps decide to join in the effort, by getting on board as active members or donating every now and then.
I hope that this has given us some food for thought on a sustainable, targeted approach to structuring our generosity to society.
Hon Mona Kabuki Quartey (Mrs)
1B, 2B, 3B, 4S2, 5S2
House 11
Look out for our next Spotlight Edition on Nadia Simmonds