Staff Spotlight: Frank Ofori

Title:
Volunteer Support
Frank Ofori is a volunteer support staff at Atlas volunteers with 5 years experience working within the intricacies of people and project management for a number of charities and volunteering companies. Outside of work, he likes to read and play football.

What is your favorite travel memory?

A 7 day trip to the western part of Ghana, a country in the West Africa region. I enjoyed the beautiful, quiet and clean Busua beach in Axim which had activities such as surfing, hiking through a nearby forest and a night party organized by the Busua beach resort on weekends. A visit to the Kakum canopy walkway, the Cape Coast slave castle was an eye opener about some of the activities and the barbaric treatment suffered by the slaves during the slave trade period. The most striking moment of the trip was to witness the local festival with all the colorful and beautiful sense of fashion and the great hospitality I experienced from the local people. All the above mentioned experiences coupled with the calm nature of the people, makes it my favorite travel so far.

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

Yes because I have been handed a bigger and a more challenging role by my current employer and that has enabled me to grow and improve upon all my professional qualities associated with my job as a volunteer support staff. Moreover, the focus and ambitions of my current company aligns very well with my thoughts and vision and hence has helped me to be able to bring forth and incorporate my ideas into that of the company which in turn has given me great confidence because of the recognition given me by the company.

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

A return student was able to write her own story about Africa and most importantly about Ghana as one of the most peaceful countries she had visited with the best hospitality after her trip to Ghana. Before coming to Ghana, she was made to believe that it was a poor, rough and a violent country based on news she read on prominent news sites and the internet. Based on the projects she took part in whiles volunteering with my company, she decided to start her own blog to paint the real and beautiful picture of Ghana.

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

Reforestation and Tree Planting Activist. This is because the issue of climate change activism in Ghana is close to non-existent. So leading the charge of the fight against climate change through reforestation, tree planting and educating the locals on the importance of forest conservation create awareness about the threat of climate change to the environment.

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

The ability to design and execute projects which reflects the real needs of the beneficiaries whiles at the same time engaging volunteers to bring forth and shape their ideas and plans to align with that of the company to give them desired voice. I was especially proud of the team during the launch of our reading club and school support project because of the readiness, eagerness and the commitment shown to make the project a success.

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

Having a clear vision and focus. Making the needs of the staff and all other necessary partners a priority as I believe that brings out the best in them and encourages the team to work with great commitment and enthusiam to propel the vision and target of the company to the desired and appropriate level. Also, implementing necessary instruments to ensure a successful information flow throughout the entire company structure.