History
Self-help Initiative Support Services (SISS) was established in Ghana in 1998 as a grassroots mobilizing organization that provides services to promote and support existing self-help groups, or serve as a catalyst to establish them in communities where they do not exist, assist such groups to undertake development initiatives, build their capacities through training, transfer of skills and organizational development to be self supportive.

SISS has received various grants from the Canadian International Development Agency (CDA), Ghana AIDS Commission, and Comic Relief, UK to run training programs for youth, women and people living with HIV/AIDS and their care givers.Currently, under the Urban Life line Project (ULP), SISS is currently collaborating with Comic Relief, UK to support efforts by slum dwellers at Agbogbloshie in Accra to acquire the basic amenities and skills to improve their living conditions. As part of the project a permanent resource facility will be built to provide a venue for running education and training program.

Mission
Promote self-help as an effective tool towards development.

Goals
To promote and campaign for support for self help development initiatives.

To transfer the skills needed for personal development, organizational capacity building and civic consciousness through training and exchange.

To support self help projects initiated by individuals and community based groups  and help link them to other such groups and the global development community.

Aims
To help reduce poverty and raise living standards within poor communities by providing the training and support required to get excluded individuals and groups into income earning activities.

Promoting the idea of self-help as the most effective approach to sustainable development and campaigning for more support and self-help efforts.
To respond to requests for support for projects aimed at improving the socio-economic circumstances of marginalized people and their participation in civil society and in the global community

Main Activities
To popularize self-help efforts and respond to individuals and groups seeking assistance in order to help themselves and their communities by providing a forum for discussing their needs.

To respond to requests for support for projects aimed at improving the socio-economic circumstances of marginalized people and their participation in civil society.

Partnership development; working with partners to develop and fundraise to implement community development projects; skills transfer and capacity building; advocacy and policy.

To deliver training to facilitate the development and empowerment of such individuals and groups by building their capacities to engage in effective development action and civic participation.

Assist in coordinating activities as well as linking them to similar groups and support organizations locally and internationally.
Provision of logistic support for self-help initiatives.

Governance
SISS is registered as non-profit organization in Ghana No. No.G2613. It is governed by a seven member board. The executive director is Alice A. Ansah-Koi.

 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
James K. Otieku (Chair)
Dept. of Accounting Studies, University of Ghana Business School

Dr. Kofi Saah
Dept. of Linguistics, University of Ghana

Kofi Anane-Agyei

Grace Owusu-Boateng

Betty Nanor
Institute of Management and Public Administration,Ghana

Samuel Manteaw
Faculty of Law, University of Ghana