Vodafone Ghana Foundation has launched the second edition of its World of Difference scheme and committed GHS1.8 million to support it. The scheme would enable 50 professionals volunteer two months of their time and expertise to support charities and worthy courses of their choice that would go a long way to impact the lives of the underprivileged in various communities across country. Part of the money would also be used to fund 10 additional World of Difference projects across the country. The first edition, worth over half a million Ghana cedis funded nine World of Difference projects and also supported 30 professionals over a period of two months to use their expertise to help various courses across the country. The professionals included journalists, broadcasters, medical doctors, lawyers, engineers, accountants and several others who used their time mainly to create awareness and also to raise funds to support various courses. Director of External Affairs at Vodafone Ghana, Patrick Boateng noted that, similar to the first scheme, professionals interested in supporting particular charity programmes of their choice would be required to fill a form and provide a write up on how they intend to help and what impact the help would make on the underprivileged. He said all applications would be scrutinized and screened and eventually the 50 best ones would be selected and supported for two months. “Over the two months, the selected professionals would take time off their normal jobs and Vodafone Foundation would pay them stipends so they can commit their time to help either through an NGO or directly,” he said. He said the success of the maiden edition has informed the bigger purse for the second, and expressed the hope that the second one would even make a greater impact. One of the success stories of the first edition was the support Vodafone Foundation gave Osu Doku Orphanage to acquire a large parcel and to start raising a two storey building for the orphans in that home. Some of the participants also told stories of what projects they undertook, the impact it made and the challenges that emerged; some of them said they were still committed to those projects even though Vodafone Foundation was no more paying them for it. Some of the volunteers said they would have loved to participate in the second edition to enable them continue what they started, but Vodafone Foundation said one can only get a second shot in five years.