Aziz Armah
President - Ghana

I have been a National Service coordinator for years. In Ghana, students are obliged to contribute to society after they have finished their studies, for example by teaching. My job is to find a place for them to work. It is through this that I also came to help foreign volunteers to find a workplace. When I saw that these volunteers could be helped much better, I decided to found OCEP Ghana, of which I am now the director.

I feel that OCEP can do a lot to assist the needy in Ghana. Beside my involvement in OCEP, I own a school in Accra. I am interested in sports, travelling and interacting with the needy.

In my town, I got to know several volunteers who were working there and I always liked to interact with them. Maybe that's because I have also travelled quite a lot; I lived in Nigeria for several years, for example, which makes me understand what it's like to be far away from home.

When Aziz asked me to help him out with OCEP I did not have to think twice, and now I am OCEP Ghana's assistant director. I do this work besides my profession as a construction technician. In my free time, I like to travel, listen to music, and play football.

Teresa Esi Eshun
Member - Ghana

I am Teresa Esi Eshun, from Takoradi, Ghana. I have a secretary/administration and catering background. Currently, I am the headmistress of Teacher Adam Memorial Junior Secondary School in Kotobabi, Accra. When I was approached by the proprietor to join OCEP as a staff member, I did not hesitate. I help out with the airport arrivals, cooking and site-seeing during the introduction and the placement at the work sites.

Guus Goorts
Board member - Europe

I was born on June 18th, 1981 in a village called Alphen in the Netherlands. I graduated in International Business from Maastricht University, the Netherlands in 2005 and am currently working as a cross-cultural training specialist for a relocation company, Cartus, in Singapore. In my free time, I am learning Mandarin. My interests are: cultures, languages, travel and business. More about me in my blog.

Previously, I have spent six months in Ghana as a teacher at Newtown International School in Assin Fosu. My stay in Ghana made me realise however big culture differences are, the gap can be bridged with good efforts and a positive spirit. I made friends with some Ghanaians with whom I am still in touch. After my stay in Ghana, I raised funds to enable the school to build a library. My motivation to be involved in OCEP is to give young people the chance to have an enriching experience in Ghana, just like I had.

Ibrahim Nortey
Administrator - Ghana

I am the administrator for OCEP in Ghana. When you have been given your placement, you are likely to be in touch with me to arrange the details of your airport pick-up. I also communicate with the project sites and send them your profiles so that they know who is coming. At the same time, I am the Adminstrator of Teacher Adam Memorial School and act as the sports master as well.

I like making friends, doing sports and working with computers. Moreover, I like travelling a lot and have visited all of Ghana's ten regions. Generally, I am an active guy and always prepared to assist in whatever way possible.

Sam Kwaku Jewett
Staff member - Ghana

My name is Samuel Kwaku Jewett. I was born on 10th August 1980, and speak English and three Ghanaian languages: Twi, Ga and Ewe. I hold a diploma in Marketing and Public Relations. When you arrive in Ghana, there is a good chance that I will be the one picking you up at the airport. And I also may be showing you around Accra during your first days in Ghana.

I am comfortable discussing politics, books and relationships. Furthermore I love to read and to listen to music, especially country I also enjoy cooking and I worry about why some people still go hungry. Though I make friends easily, I also enjoy spending time on my own every now and then.

Paul Teule
Board member - Europe

In 2006 I joined Job in visiting Ghana and participate in all of OCEP's projects. It was an amazing experience and I saw lots of good work and great opportunities. Ghana can safely be described as an ideal country to work in, due to the English tongue, moderate prices and most of all: the warm and flexible Ghanaians! I decided to join OCEP and I'm dealing with prospective volunteers ever since.

I was born in 1981 in Amsterdam. There I studied economics and philosophy. After working in the Dutch parliament for the Dutch progressive Party (D66) I moved to Brussels to work as a freelance journalist. Further interests include: music, film, theatre, swimming and chess.

Job Rijneveld
President - Europe

Together with Lior, Guus and Paul, I take care of the European part of OCEP. Besides quite some paperwork this means we interview and prepare our volunteers for their stay in Ghana as much as possible. I did my masters in Social Psychology and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Amsterdam. Currently I am working for the Dutch National Youth Council. My interests are: language, doubt, South Africa, politics and play.

In 1999 I worked as a volunteer for several months at Newtown International School in Assin Fosu (Central Region) in Ghana. Volunteering in Ghana is something I recommend to all the adventurous. By means of working for OCEP those in Ghana who have welcomed me with so much love can be supported in their plans to develop proper education and healthcare.

Lior Ziv aka Kofi Mensah
Vice president - Europe

In the summer of 2004 I spent two months volunteering in Ghana with OCEP. As time went by, I got more and more involved in the organisation of OCEP itself. The first month there I spent working in an orphanage and the second month I visited projects for OCEP. In any case, going to Ghana was one of the most enriching experiences of my life and till today it continues to shape me as a person.

I was born and grew up in the Belgian town of Antwerp and graduated with a law degree at the University of Leuven. After that I pursued a masters of law at Harvard Law School and at present I am working as an analyst at the World Bank in Washington DC. My previous volunteer experiences include work in a refugee camp in Azerbaijan, a children's library in Guatemala and a youth camp in the Ukraine. My interests: everything except for soap operas.

© OCEP Foundation