Case Studies of Volunteers

Recent Successes for Our Volunteers

Finance skills

Accountant Abdulai Bangura worked for KPMG in Sierra Leone until 2004 and then with a retail company in the UK. Through Reach he found an ideal position with Medact, an organisation for health professionals which campaigns worldwide for people whose health and well being are affected by war and poverty. Abdulai said: “I wanted to give something back to the community and the role also enhances my profile.” Medact said: “We needed an accountant but could not afford a professional’s fee so Abdulai’s arrival has been a big boost.” 

Website management

Volunteer Paul Webster, with an extensive background in IT, has taken on a number of voluntary projects, including the Dystonia Society, which promotes the welfare of people who are affected by this neurological movement disorder. Paul manages the Society's current website and is helping the group move to a new system. "I am delighted that I have been able to make a useful contribution and give something back to the charity".

Governance expertise

The Woman's Trust, which provides counselling and support to women who are affected by domestic violence, asked for a trustee with governance expertise.

Reach found the perfect volunteer.  Lesley Duff worked for ten years with the Charity Commission and when deciding to volunteer mentioned she was particularly interested in mental health and women’s issues "so Woman’s Trust ticked both boxes," she said.

Website design

Barnet Refugee Service works to improve the quality of life for refugees and asylum seekers in the Borough of Barnet and surrounding areas. To publicise the charity BRS needed a fresh and professional website. Reach found them Vi Bang, a freelance web designer, who created a new website and trained another volunteer to maintain the site. Says Nazee Akbari, BRS Director, “Vi created a fantastic website and was a fantastic person to work with.  I have received such positive feedback.” 

Administration and training

Having come to this country from Ghana, Yvonne Akoto asked Reach to find her a volunteering opportunity that would help add UK experience to her extensive C.V. She is now working with Action for Refugees in Lewisham helping with the administration and training as an adviser to support refugees with welfare, employment, housing and educational issues. "I am grateful for the service I got from Reach," said Yvonne. "The volunteering opportunity they provided really gave me an in-depth understanding of the work I want to do." 

IT support

For more than 20 years Terry Fitch has worked in or around I.T. He has implemented several I.T. projects and gained extensive practical experience in manufacturing. 

More recently though life became a lot more difficult for him. In the space of four years he suffered the loss of his father and his 21-year old son, was made redundant and endured a difficult divorce.

Terry found two roles through Reach, which seemed tailor-made for him. One was with the Disability Information Bureau in Macclesfield where he ran computer related training courses for groups of disabled people. The other was with IT Can Help, where he joined a network of support volunteers who go to the houses of registered disabled individuals to help out with IT problems. Said Terry, "I found the process of volunteering very worth while, it enabled me to get back into the work environment, giving me back my confidence that I could still do it!"