Q: Where does my money go to? A: An approximate expenditure percentage is as follows. Keep in mind that because the project has not yet officially started, there is no proof positive way to know the exact expenses, only an estimation based on my prior travel experience in Africa as well as Europe.
About 5% of the donation funds will go to a secured bank account in which it will provide emergency funding and extra resources.
Another 10% will go to living expenses. Rent, food, transportation, things that are required no matter where you are at in the world. Different locations will have different costs thus any surplus of living expenditure will be saved for unexpected or unforseen events.
Around 15%-30% of the donations will go to travel expenses, the most expensive part of the project. Plane tickets, in country transportation, travel medications such as malaria tablets. Anything and everything that is required to get to or stay in the destination. After I am actually in country, this cost drops dramatically and the longer I stay in one location the less I need to save for travel expenses.
Finally 55-70%% of all the donations will make it directly to the people that this project has been developed for. If someone is looking for a way to go to school, if an important structure needs to be built, or food needs to be bought for orphans. That is where the bulk of your donation will go, to the important causes that will effect the individual as well as the surrounding community.
Because this is not a large scale operation, with a large number of employees, more of the funds will make it to the direct source that it is meant for. This is the current budget set up, if it is found that any area is to little or to high for the budget it will be changed. This budget is also based on an estimation of one dollar a week per person who donates.
Q: How do I know that this is legitimate? A: There is no possible way that I will currently be able to proove that this is a 100% legitimate project, it is sad that this has to be asked because of all the scams that have been produced over the years. The best I can offer is my contact information, if you wish to speak with me by email, phone, or in person (if you are local) than feel free to give me a message. Beyond this, you just have to trust that your money is going where I say it is.
Eventually I will have someone update this site with recent events and news, videos and photographs of the projects that have been made possible with your donations. Because I am not currently at the first project site, I cannot offer you anything more than my word. Once I am there I will constantly be showing everyone what it is their money is going to!
Q: When will the project start, when will you leave the States? A: I hope to be in Ghana in January of 2008, of course this is only made possible with the support from you and many others. As soon as I am in Ghana I will head to the project location and begin work there immediately.
Q: Why start with Ghana, where else will you go? A: I am starting the project with Ghana because it is a place that I know fairly well, and a place where my and your assistance is surly needed. This will be the perfect launching point for the program because it will give me valuable project experience in this new form of volunteering that I will bring with me to every other location. I know much of what this orphanage, and these people need from the short time I was able to be with them, what better way to reward those whom inspired this project by starting with them.
The other locations I will visit over the course of time have not yet been decided, most anywhere is a possibility. Currently I am not making any commitments of where to go, or how long to stay until the donations that I hope to receive for the starting project are met.
Q: Why do you want to do this? A: Because I can, because it should be done. The reason is as simple as that. There are things that people should just do and there are things that people are not willing to do. It is no hinderance to me to stay in conditions that others would consider less than sufficient, and so through me you can do good too.
The priority is first and foremost to volunteer what services I can to the projects that I go to. Following this, providing people with what they need through economic means is another very important part of the project. To create change, you have to put people in the position to change, and that is what I want to do.