Media has played a huge role in projecting the single story of Africa. This has ultimately led Americans to think Africans can’t save themselves.

This was my first full week working at BrandEffect Limited in the East Legon neighborhood. It is a small graphic design and branding firm, but I’m working specifically in public relations for Wishes Alliance, an organization within BrandEffect. Wishes Alliance defines itself as “a research and advocacy NGO dedicated to promoting and facilitating the practice of collaboration among NGOs.”

One report said there are over 300,000 NGOs in Ghana alone (Don’t quote me on that.) Many of the NGOs share common goals of fighting developmental problems around education plans, health crises, environmental issues, and more. However, most of the NGOs are invisible to one another and the community due to a lack of transparency and hesitancy to collaborate. Wishes Alliance aims to provide a platform for NGOs to build relationship sand collaborate on projects that will have actual impact in Ghana and the African continent.

Because I have a slight insight into Ghana’s potential to improve its economic, social, and developmental issues, I’d like to argue that (contrary to American belief), Africa can and will save itself.

Director Cassandra Herrman and co-producer Kathryn Mathers have teamed up for this documentary called “Framed” to answer why Western Europe and America are so obsessed with saving Africa. Herrman hopes the documentary won’t stop people from thinking about Africa, just will make them re-consider how they do.

A savior-victim relationship was was something I drastically wanted to avoid in my travels to Africa and in the workplace at my internship. I expect to learn from my company’s professional experience, not just use my skill set to “save” them. I think this is where many Americans and other Westerners falter.

I’ll admit I was obsessed with #Kony2012 and Invisible Children, but in my defense I was 18. Most recently, the crash and burn of the #BringBackOurGirls campaign against Nigerian Islamic Boko Haram militia has received similar criticism.

Hashtags aren’t going to save anyone. Whether you believe Africa needs saving or not, the American obsession (especially with hashtags) is a faulty tactic.

NGOs are not a focus I would have seen myself pursuing, but I’m excited about the work. Between research evaluations, media relations campaigns, social media strategies, and event forum planning and communication, I feel drastically underprepared and overwhelmed. But I guess you learn best when thrown into it. I’m excited for the opportunity to make an impact on the millennium developmental goals in Africa and be small part of how Africa saves itself. (The 2014 report on MDGs was released on Monday and shows that efforts have been hugely successful since 2000).

This work shows me first hand the efforts of NGOs within Ghana to solve the issues that Americans try so desperately to address from across the Atlantic Ocean and I’m grateful for that change of perspective.

[In other updates: Tomorrow we leave at 6 a.m. for a 7-hour drive north to Kumasi. We will visit Manhyia Palace, home of the Ashanti kings with my hopes of becoming an African princess.]