VIMA | Volunteers for International Medical Aid
  • About
    • Staff & Board
    • FAQ
  • Sponsor A Child
  • VIMA Children's Home
  • Stories
  • Contact

WHAT WE DO

11/23/2015

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT WE DO

​Volunteers for International Medical Aid (VIMA), was founded in 2009 by Francis Kwame Agbemafle, as a non-governmental, non-for-profit organization (NGO) and fully registered in the state of California, USA, for local and international health assistance. The International focus of VIMA is to serve Ghana, Republic of Togo, Burkina Faso and other countries of Sub-Saharan Africa. It all started as a one man mission (the founder) to give back to the community in which he grew up, in Ghana, West Africa.  As a US resident, former friends and colleagues will transfer money to him to purchase and ship  cars to  them in West Africa, So Francis  came up with a simple idea, instead of shipping empty vehicles he purchased for friends in West Africa, he thought it will be more beneficial to utilize the cargo space by buying used clothes from flea markets and thrift stores as well as basic medical supplies such as used stethoscopes, diabetic glucometers , lancets, portable blood pressure machines, and thermometers etc and 
donate the items to clinics, local mid-wives centers and  orphanages in remote areas through family and friends.

This noble initial idea, financed solely by the founder was so successful that there were clinics that depended on his continued supply of such items for their upkeep and running. This donation drive is known and well documented to have save lives and promote better living standards in the villages that were served.

He did this because in his own words, “it did not cost much” This went on for about two years  successfully and after sharing stories  of his small donations with friends church colleagues in the USA, others expressed interest in either assisting or donating used items to promote his efforts. Following successful small scale item donations for a few  years, VIMA sent  its first medical Volunteer to Ghana on the 24th of march, 2011 on a two weeks assignment, the organization since then has welcomed to the shores of Ghana three more volunteers in various capacities. VIMA is still a small organization undertaking small projects in rural communities but of significant social impacts. VIMA believes it doesn’t take much to make a difference in the lives of the poor; most of the aid intended for the poor does not reach the intended recipient due to the bureaucracy in the system coupled with greed by the privileged few at the top, a situation the founder of VIMA has experienced at first hand.

Volunteers for International Medical Aid; VIMA has one important basic policy, we makes sure there’s direct one-on-one delivery of donations to their intended recipients, absolutely no middle men. We prefer to remain a small organization that will reach out to our clients rather than growing too fast for our intended purpose.

VIMA’s approach is very simple, and our target group is the most vulnerable in society; the orphans, girls, abused women, especially single mothers, and children with congenital diseases including HIV infected kids. We therefore try to improve living conditions for these group of people through voluntary work with participatory approach, thereby increasing knowledge on health issues, improve nutritional and health status, enhance leadership and self-help capacities of the poor.

Thank you for visiting our site and we hope that the good lord will touch your heart in order to make a difference in the health of a child, a mother, an orphan in any of our locations. Most of our volunteers return to their countries of origin with very humble experiences and some cases, realized they themselves were the beneficiaries in some way of their kindness. Volunteering makes you discover yourself in ways you have not thought about, bringing you a sense of purpose, and you do so as you make life-time international friends, discover new approaches to old tricks (e.g. making fire in the jungle using stones and the principle of friction and heat), Enhancing your self-esteem, and above all make a difference in the lives of others in ways you never thought you could.

As VIMA grows, we shall not depart from the basic principles and guidelines of the founder; the implementing of small projects with big socio-economic impacts.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

11/23/2015

 
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT VIMA

​Where is VIMA USA located? 
We are located in Susanville, California; with a field office in Atlanta Georgia. VIMA also has representation in each of the countries we serve, mostly in West Africa. Though VIMA has also engage in some charity work in the US, we mostly implement long-term programs to fight poverty, responding to humanitarian emergencies, promote women health and advocating for policy change to improve the lives of the poorest people in Africa. 

Who supports VIMA? 
VIMA is still relatively young and growing Organization. Most of our funding comes from our active members, well wishers, sympathizers, and through donations of items by members; VIMA also organizes fund-raisers, e.g.  car wash fund-raisers, yard sales, Karaoke nights etc to generate funds, please contact our accounts division at donations@vimaonline.org to enquire about how you can organize a fund-raiser either for your upcoming volunteer trip to Africa or just to sponsor someone in your community, workplace, church, school for a trip. 

How can I make a donation in honor of someone? 
Gifts in honor of a person can be made at our website www.vimaonline.org or by contacting our treasurer atdonations@vimaonline.org . We also accept checks and PayPal on our site; we encourage our donors to donate via PayPal which is a secure and safe payment. 

What is VIMA’s Employer Identification Number (EIN) /tax ID? 
VIMA is committed to transparency in all of our dealings; our EIN is 30-0747116. For easy location, this number can also be found on our letterhead. 

If I am an international donor, can I still make a donation to VIMA? 
Yes, No matter where you live, you can support VIMA’s efforts to brings smiles to orphans or affordable healthcare as well as engage in our poverty-fighting programs. 

I didn't get a tax receipt for my donation.  How can I obtain one? 
A duplicate tax receipt can be requested by contact the accounts division at donations@vimaonline.org, all of our donors are also acknowledged in VIMA’s annual fundraiser bulletin

Where do my donations go? 
The majority of our donors want their gift to be used wherever the need is greatest. This allows VIMA the flexibility to use resources as efficiently as possible. VIMA’s financial records are available to the public. Ninety-one percent of our expended resources support program activities. Nine percent of expended resources go toward administrative and fundraising expenditures. We strive for the highest accounting and financial standards.

How does my donated item get to its destination?
We work with shippers out of Augusta Georgia for donated items from southern US, also Long Beach in the Los Angeles area. VIMA has an elaborate and yet simple system of transporting donated items to our staging ground in Ghana, from where decisions are made by both local and the US team as to where the items are needed most. We do not serve one entity, we donate items ONLY to the needy, we do not sell and will not donate unless we see a need, and this is a major policy for the Organization.


Is my donation restricted to one Beneficiary? 
Donations to VIMA go to support our poverty-fighting programs in poor countries, especially in Ghana, Togo and Burkina Faso. We have however done volunteer work in Jamaica and Haiti.  This gives us the flexibility to channel funds to wherever the needs are greatest. 

How can I donate my Delta Sky Miles? How exactly are they used? 
Delta Airlines is the Airline of choice in most of the West African routes we serve, we are currently working with the Delta sky wish program office in order to receive miles from donors which goes a long way to facilitate our outreach program. 

Can I donate clothes, shoes or other supplies? 
Yes, we try to match any of your donations to our database of needs; we also make sure you are informed about where your donations went. 

Can I volunteer for VIMA? 
Yes, volunteer and have a wonderful fulfilling experience of a lifetime, most of our Volunteers return with very great and humble experiences and memories. 

How can I or my company partner with VIMA for fundraising opportunities? 
There are several ways you and your company can get involved in VIMA’s poverty-fighting mission. Kindly give us a call if you have some creative ideas that you might want to discuss. 
  • Many companies match their employees' charitable contributions.
  • Organize a donation event for fellow employees to bring used items for VIMA to be sent abroad for the orphanages we assist.
Does VIMA provide assistance within the United States? 
VIMA is concerned with poverty and injustice especially against women everywhere, whiles local assistance is necessary at times, most of our donors and volunteers opt to serve individuals and families in the poorest communities in West Africa. VIMA is an enabler and a means for Americans and other nationals, including even the wealthiest in the countries we serve to share their compassion and generosity with those who have no safety net. We believe there are wealthy statesmen even in the poorest of places we serve and encourage them also to participate in our efforts to improve their local community. 

VIMA is committed to doing more than meeting immediate needs. We strive to address the structural barriers to overcoming poverty, such as patterns of discrimination and exclusion; 

OUR HISTORY

11/23/2015

Comments

 

LEARN ABOUT OUR HISTORY

​Volunteers for International Medical Aid (VIMA), was founded in 2009 by Francis Kwame Agbemafle, as a non-governmental, non-for-profit organization (NGO) and fully registered in the state of California, USA, for local and international health assistance. The International focus of VIMA is to serve Ghana, Republic of Togo, Burkina Faso and other countries of Sub-Saharan Africa. It all started as a one man mission (the founder) to give back to the community in which he grew up, in Ghana, West Africa.  As a US resident, former friends and colleagues will transfer money to him to purchase and ship  cars to  them in West Africa, So Francis  came up with a simple idea, instead of shipping empty vehicles he purchased for friends in West Africa, he thought it will be more beneficial to utilize the cargo space by buying used clothes from flea markets and thrift stores as well as basic medical supplies such as used stethoscopes, diabetic glucometers , lancets, portable blood pressure machines, and thermometers etc and 
donate the items to clinics, local mid-wives centers and  orphanages in remote areas through family and friends.

This noble initial idea, financed solely by the founder was so successful that there were clinics that depended on his continued supply of such items for their upkeep and running. This donation drive is known and well documented to have save lives and promote better living standards in the villages that were served.

He did this because in his own words, “it did not cost much” This went on for about two years  successfully and after sharing stories  of his small donations with friends church colleagues in the USA, others expressed interest in either assisting or donating used items to promote his efforts. Following successful small scale item donations for a few  years, VIMA sent  its first medical Volunteer to Ghana on the 24th of march, 2011 on a two weeks assignment, the organization since then has welcomed to the shores of Ghana three more volunteers in various capacities. VIMA is still a small organization undertaking small projects in rural communities but of significant social impacts. VIMA believes it doesn’t take much to make a difference in the lives of the poor; most of the aid intended for the poor does not reach the intended recipient due to the bureaucracy in the system coupled with greed by the privileged few at the top, a situation the founder of VIMA has experienced at first hand.

Volunteers for International Medical Aid; VIMA has one important basic policy, we makes sure there’s direct one-on-one delivery of donations to their intended recipients, absolutely no middle men. We prefer to remain a small organization that will reach out to our clients rather than growing too fast for our intended purpose.

VIMA’s approach is very simple, and our target group is the most vulnerable in society; the orphans, girls, abused women, especially single mothers, and children with congenital diseases including HIV infected kids. We therefore try to improve living conditions for these group of people through voluntary work with participatory approach, thereby increasing knowledge on health issues, improve nutritional and health status, enhance leadership and self-help capacities of the poor.

Thank you for visiting our site and we hope that the good lord will touch your heart in order to make a difference in the health of a child, a mother, an orphan in any of our locations. Most of our volunteers return to their countries of origin with very humble experiences and some cases, realized they themselves were the beneficiaries in some way of their kindness. Volunteering makes you discover yourself in ways you have not thought about, bringing you a sense of purpose, and you do so as you make life-time international friends, discover new approaches to old tricks (e.g. making fire in the jungle using stones and the principle of friction and heat), Enhancing your self-esteem, and above all make a difference in the lives of others in ways you never thought you could.

As VIMA grows, we shall not depart from the basic principles and guidelines of the founder; the implementing of small projects with big socio-economic impacts.
Comments

MISSION & VISION

11/23/2015

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR MISSION

​VIMA is a Lassen County based not-for-profit organization dedicated to fighting the devastating impact and perpetuation of poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa.  VIMA  advances its anti-poverty mission by collecting basic medical supplies, new and used shoes and clothes from individuals, faith-based institutions, civic organizations then distributing those shoes and clothes via direct donations to people in need in rural areas.
Drag & drop footer content here
Picture
Volunteers for International Medical Aid

2600 Park Meadows Dr, Unit B107, Bakersfields, CA, 93308. Tel: +1-404-886-3638, Tax Exempt ID No: 30-0747116
​OUR MISSION:
Fight poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), through medical missions, collecting used clothes & shoes, medical supplies, then distributes these items free of charge to orphanages, the needy and the under-served in remote areas far beyond the reach of large-scale charities.
OUR VISION:
Create and maintain lasting partnerships, both local and international, through which we can empower the poor, educate rural communities on sustainable health issues and encourage productive livelihoods  through self problem solving and seizing opportunities.

Helping Children in Africa

The story of VIMA

A 7 year old orphan boy in Ghana, Africa was given his first ever pair of shoes. These shoes allowed him to make the long walk to school. Beyond an education which was sponsored by a German missionary visiting his village, his shoes gave him confidence and hope. Those shoes lead him into a job which took him to America. Now through VIMA he gives shoes, clothing, medical supplies, confidence and hope to the children in Ghana and beyond.

1-530-661-8040

Reno Web Design

We partner with local and international entities to fight the cycle of poverty on the African continent.

Waking Girl Web Design