1. Briefly tell us about yourself and your organization.
Tetenyo is a teacher by profession and leader of CharityLink Network, a registered nonprofit in Ghana. He holds a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Cape Coast. Tetenyo is passionate about training people to develop basic skills in leadership, diplomacy and entrepreneurship.
2. What motivated you to start your social enterprise?
I was born in one of the rural areas in Ghana where I schooled and grew up. There was a lack of basic amenities such as roads potable water, infrastructure, school, hospital, etc. in my community, which I later realized are also issues facing urban areas in Ghana. Growing up under those circumstances forced me to think differently about how I can contribute to the development of people and my country.
3. So far, what has been the impact of your social enterprise?
Through our efforts, we have been able to connect five schools in Ghana to schools in the USA for cultural exchange activities. We provided the schools with 500 new books donated by US-based organizations and we have educated more than 1000 students about the dangers of illegal migration. We recently launched an initiative to provide 1 million kids under 15 years with renewable National Health Insurance to promote basic healthcare which will help reduce child mortality rates in Ghana.
4. What are the major challenges you are currently facing in your social enterprise?
Sourcing funding and other non-financial support for social work is very difficult. Our inability to support our volunteers with stipends is a source of discouragement and makes it difficult to secure their commitment. In Ghana, waiting for government institutions’ approval can be long and discouraging. Summarily, we lack, professional human resources, financial support and some material donation to support our activities.
5. Mention one big change you will like to see in your line of work e.g., policy change, behaviour change, institutional support, more collaboration etc.
Social work is about partnerships between the social entrepreneur and the government. It will be hugely beneficial for organizations like ours if we get adequate government support with approvals and material resources that we currently don’t have access to.
6. Do you have a final message for a budding social entrepreneur who is interested in your field of work?
CharityLink Network welcomes professional volunteers to invest their time and know-how in helping to source funding and material resources for schools, hospitals and our broader partners.
7. How can people connect with your social enterprise on social media?
They can connect with me on:
- Facebook via CharityLink Network
- LinkedIn via Tetenyo Kodah
