Key Aims
1. To promote long term sustainable community development through eco-tourism
2. To provide nursery and primary care children with education and thus encourage more choice of long-term opportunity.
3. To develop sanitation and health programmes that contribute to improving living conditions and alleviating sickness.
4. To provide a low-cost volunteer programme that supports our work
Our Story
When working in Ghana during the summer of 2008, I chose to spend the majority of my weekends out of the bustle of Ghana’s demanding capital city of Accra. On such a weekend as this, I came across the community of Kewunor whilst exploring the banks of the Volta River. Whilst there, I met a local man called Winfred Dzinadoh who had great vision for the community, and in line with this, started his own form of an eco-lodge 3 years ago. He runs this hotel with the design to support and include his fellow local inhabitants. In addition to the setting up of the hotel, Winfred has also started a number of projects to benefit the community from the income of the hotel. The largest project is that of a local nursery school. The nearest schools are located in the towns, and are thus at least a 6km walk away for the children, and are in the foreign regional dialect of Dangme. Woefully inadequate, Winfred decided to establish a nursery school in the grounds of his hotel.
Due to the great potential of the project and my admiration of the fantastic work Winfred is doing, I have now become a partner of Hotel Maranatha. Together, Winfred and I plan to continue this work in improving the community of Kewunor, with many further projects including those in sanitation and health; and thus Project SAND was born. We are currently working with the aim of registering it as a charity in the UK by summer 2009 and as NGO in Ghana by December 2009.
- Camilla Sanger
Meet The Team
Camilla Sanger - UK Director
Camilla founded Project SAND in 2008 when visiting Ghana on a volunteer placement scheme. After seeing the impoverished conditions of isolated coastal communities such as Kewunor, she felt it was imperative to implement sustainable development and provide the local people with a means of helping themselves. After being inspired by the vision of one local man in particular, a partnership was created and Project SAND was born.
Camilla is a graduate of Sussex University and has had many years experience working in the volunteer and social work sector in the UK, with particular regard to underprivileged children.
Winfred Dzinadoh - Ghana Director
Winfred is the real vision and backbone behind Project SAND and Maranatha Beach Camp, setting it up for the benefit of the community he grew up in. Winfred saw the challenges of the people of Kewunor and strived to implement change with his moto of 'Development and Unity'. With a lot of determination and obstacles to overcome, Winfred started building the Lodge three and a half years ago, using all the profits he made to build a small nursery school for the younger children of the community.
Winfred is a professional photographer and interior designer and can't wait to have the opportunity to spruce up the room decorations at the Lodge in traditional West African style.
Hannah Tyrrell - Volunteer Co-ordinator
Hannah has recently completed her Psychology degree and is currently planning her gap year before beginning teacher training. She has a vast range of experience in voluntary aid work, including a recent trip to India where she assisted in a welfare project in an orphanage. In the UK she is a youth leader working with 5-11 year olds, organising activities both fun and educational, which contributes to her passion to teach and help underprivileged young people. In her spare time, Hannah enjoys cooking and feeding her friends. In the future she aspires to own her own patisserie.
Jane Sanger - Fundraising Co-ordinator
Jane has over 25 years successful fundraising experience, having been involved with Royal London Society for the Blind, Breast Cancer Care and Marie Curie. She has supported a school for underpriveleged children in South Africa and sponsored schooling for a child in Zimbabwe.
As a mother of 5 girls she has been involved in individual funding for her eldest daughter who is disabled, fighting for disabled rights and local council funding and support.
Lizzie Shine – Treasurer and Administrator
Lizzie is currently a final-year Psychology with Neuroscience student at the University of Sussex, working part-time for a small Brighton-based charity as their administrator, and also as a Nursing Assistant. With her relevant work experience and practical brain, her natural interests and skills fall particularly in the administrative side of ProjectSAND.
Lizzie’s role is mostly to work from the UK, liaising with Camilla in Kewunor alongside businesses and volunteers from both Ghana and the UK. She is really looking forward to spending some time in Kewunor in early 2010, and with her background in nursing and mental health hope to see the provision of community healthcare become a reality during her stay.
