Mr Rudolph Donald Lee, a Canadian national of African origin and Board Chairman of Necessary Aid Alliance, a youth-led Non-Governmental Organization based in the Upper West Region of Ghana, has shared an interesting story behind the organisation's establishment.
He gave vivid memories of how he met the Founder and Executive Director of the organization, Mr Mulumba Songsore when he first visited Ghana in the 2019 Year of Return proclaimed by the Government of Ghana to reunite Africans living in the diaspora with their origins, particularly Ghana.
Mr Lee narrated:
"In February 2019 when I first came to Ghana on the year of return, declared by the government of Ghana to welcome all the Africans living outside of Africa (diaspora) to go home to commemorate the 400 anniversary of the slave trade; I met a young man at the National House of Chiefs in Kumasi. I was there with my friend for a cultural visit.
I met many Chiefs there but, it was that young man, the tallest person in the room with that baby face, that caught my attention. There was this divine push that got me to approach him in a conversation. He was Mulumba, an assistant to the Paramount Chief of Gwollu.
Mulumba displayed a lot of knowledge and understanding about many cultural and social issues. Through that short interaction, I learnt a lot from him. Before I left, I had his contact details.
When I came back to Canada after my five-week stay in Ghana, I immediately reached out to Mulumba to update him. We kept in constant touch, [and] from our conversations, I could tell Mulumba was trustworthy and reliable so I often refer to him as my chief of staff.
At times I would remit cash to him to be disbursed in support of the educational, personal and health needs of the many young Ghanaians I came across on my visit. Mulumba, as a final year Student from the University of Development Studies in Wa, Upper West told me about his vision, to set up a nonprofit organization so that our effort can even support more people needing assistance.
He shared a well-thought-out written concept for an NGO which I didn’t hesitate to endorse. I provided him with the necessary financial assistance to get things started, thus the birth of the "Necessary Aid Alliance" (www.necessaryaidalliance.org).
I assisted Mulumba in implementing projects across the country; this, he said was to build a good track record for the organization so that he can get donor trust to implement projects through writing proposals to these potential donors.
Five years down the line March, 2024, I am back in Ghana and I’m super excited and impressed with the extent of the progress of the organization.
Mulumba, through his skill in writing and verbal communication, was able to land partnerships with International Organizations like Plan International Ghana, CouldYou?, Ethnic Minority Hub, and Africa Child Rights amongst others.
I must say I’ve never regretted taking chances with this young man here in Wa, Ghana. I’m further encouraged on my return to Canada to get more support for the organization as I have been solely responsible for funding its activities from Canada.
This is my story and I am glad to share it with you all."