“We are the future leaders and world changers ahooooaaaaaaa!!!”
The chorus could not pass by your ear lobes without taking an expedition to beat your eardrums into a tingly rhythm down your spine.
From a fair distance, Adjo, a fifteen year old mother of a year old baby keenly peeped through the jagged bamboo fences, wondering in awe how the edges of her once promising life had become a direct replica of the fence she looked through. Through the years she had been robbed of her potential and confidence by the crude crass vices that lined the fabric of her very society and generation. Through those fences she watched enthusiastic children, most of them her age mates bouncing with joy off trampolines of encouragement, formation and guidance offered by seasoned, experienced mentors and change leaders. She basked in emotional turmoil and searched the abstract for a device to turn back the hands of time and to re-twist the arms of fate.
Interaction with Adjo and Mother on Nneka Camp Site
All her life she had called Ve Gbodome, a town in the Afadjato South District of the Volta Region of Ghana home. Home where she was used to seeing the youth flush their lives down the drain of drug abuse, home where it was trendy to bear a child at thirteen, home where the school dropout rate and examination pass rates were at an all time low. She looked on in awe and expectancy embroiled by the activities unfolding in front of her and didn’t even notice my gentle tap on her shoulder to invite her into an environment of hope, what Nneka sought to offer.
Nneka youth foundation was set up to offer hope and guidance for the youth and help truncate the social vices that cripple them. Notable among these vices are teenage pregnancy and drug abuse. The foundation was also set up to empower the youth to effect positive change in their community as well as to improve their fortunes in the sector of education.
The 2013 edition of the Nneka summer camp was the second in a series of summer camps organised by the foundation. It was an improvement on the maiden edition which ran in a single stream and attracted over 500 youth from 10 communities in the District and the second edition however ran over two streams and attracted over 1000 youth from 44 communities in the district.
The main objectives of the camp included; The reduction of teenage pregnancy among school children by 30% in five years within the region, the increase in enrolment of students, particularly girls in Senior High School by at least 30% in five years and the improvement of examination results, particularly BECE by at least a 20% margin within five years.
The roadmap to the success of the summer camp was effectively navigated with the support of the Chiefs and other society leaders. The success of the program ultimately lay in the motivation of participants to inculcate the drive for success, maintaining the interest of participants through diversity of activities and hand picking the cream of resource persons that can effectively relate to the children and relay the messages we aim to put across.
The 2013 camp kicked off at Ve GBODOME and extended its branches to HAVE, both in the Afadjato South District of the Volta Region. Approximately 65% of the inhabitants of these communities are peasant farmers with meagre earnings. This phenomenon narrows the possibility of viable prospects for the youth.
The foundations of the camp were laid on the blocks of support from the DCE, assembly men and other influential leaders as well as support from the parents of participants.
The activities of the camp included talks, workshops, personal development activities, success technique clinics, mini projects and games. The organizers were tasked with coordinating the various activities and liaising with the various resource persons.
Success Technique Clinic With Lawyer Tom Mawusi
The talks revolved around topics such as Drug abuse, relationships, Excelling in education, Goal setting, talents and effective use of them, Tolerance as well as personal testimonies which spurred on participants to aim higher. The resource persons included High Court Judges, Bankers, Medical Doctors, Military officers and Consultants.
The 2013 Nneka summer camp indeed had an overwhelming impact on all the stakeholders. The rave reviews , the personal commitments, the enthusiasm that oozed from participants as well as motivation delivered underlined the positive effects of the camp. The media, both print and electronic who witnessed the camp published glowing reviews. Notable among the media houses who covered the event was the Daily Graphic, Ghana’s premier, best selling newspaper and its Internet subsidiary Graphiconline.com which published a wonderful piece on the event.
This event wouldn’t have been a success without major contributions from sponsors who propelled as to achieve this great feat. We render our sincere gratitude to the following for lending their support:
Stanbic Bank ,Accra Mall Pharmacy, RyzenPharma, Shoprite, Game Discount World, Fanmilk, Indomie Voltic ,Takoradi Flour Mills, Nestlé, Miniplast, Kalyppo, Accra Mall Ltd, Kairos Concepts, Right to play and several others.
“Smarter to raise healthy children than to repair damaged adults”. This statement by Dr Manns re echoes in the annals of our society and must be heeded with diligence. Nneka youth foundation has set out to do that and to bring hope to Adjo and all the other youth out there. We soldier on and look foward to a bigger, better and much more enlightening edition of Nneka Summer camp. Till then we will monitor the seeds of success we sowed this year and make sure they sprout.
Adjo benefited from the summer camp after she was invited to participate. Her life is back on course and her mother has agreed to take care of her child in order to enable her return to school and realize her childhood dream of becoming a Soldier. She was offered an opportunity to talk to the campers and recount her experiences and her new found hope and reiterate the assertion that everyone can make it, no matter what! We sincerely seek to make an impact on every life and positively shape every future. Adjo will attest to that.
