Newmont Ghana employees to support the needy with GH¢55,740
Individual employees of Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL) have voluntarily donated a total of GH¢27,870 from their monthly salaries in less than a year to support the needy in society.
However, the actual amount which would go to selected charities as at the end of October 2009 is GH¢55,740, as the company is giving another GH¢27,870 to match the workers' contributions.
About 350 employees made the contributions through the Workplace Giving Programme (also known as “Boa Me Na Me Mmoa Wo”) instituted in the last quarter of 2008.
Beneficiary charities are selected by employees themselves with support from United Way Ghana (UWG) an umbrella non-governmental organization. Some of the charities include the Akropong School for the Blind in the Eastern Region; Compassion is Love in Action Orphanage - Brong Ahafo and Help Age Ghana in Accra.
Miss Shormeh Sai, Executive Secretary of United Way Ghana said working with Newmont Ghana (the first of her outfit's partners in this effort) gives them an opportunity to create and replicate a very innovative and well structured workplace giving model.
She says United Way Ghana is excited about the response of Newmont Ghana staff so far.
“We are really, really excited about the support of Newmont workers; they have supported the programme to take off like a house on fire. They're really into it”, Ms. Sai said in an interview.
Yaw Antwi-Dadzie, External Affairs Manager of Newmont Ghana Gold Limited and
Co-ordinator of the Programme, said the programme was to offer employees an opportunity to live out the company's value of leadership in social responsibility.
“We believe in developing our people to pursue excellence and become role models in their communities by supporting the needy in society. We believe with little from everyone, we can do much to show the world we care”, he said.
The Workplace Giving Programme is voluntary and employees are free to vary their donations according to their financial capacity.
Newmont Ghana has also partnered United Way Ghana's Day of Caring Program; where employees volunteer to have a paid workday off to spend time with and donate to selected charities every valentine's day, for the past 4 years.
Development / Ghana / Africa / Modernghana.com