Facilitators and a group of pupils.

The Foundation for Rural and Agriculture Development, FoRADev, an NGO based in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region, in partnership with Ghana Think foundation and Ahanta Tertiary Graduates Development (TEGRAD) have organised a program to mentor Junior High School pupils in Ahanta West District.

The programme dubbed FoRADev Educational Mentoring and ICT Training Project (FEMIP) was attended by five hundred and twenty pupils drawn from eight schools in the district.

Explaining the basis for the programme, the Programmes Director of FoRADev, Gideon Ardolloh Arthur said, the Ahanta West has had a poor showing at the BECE, coming last among the districts in the Western Region in three consecutive years.

He said FoRADev realised, out of a short survey of some pupils in the district, that the pupils lacked people to look up to, and that is why the organisation designed the project to mentor the pupils. 

Mr Ardolloh Arthur said this is the second edition of the project and they are happy Ghana Think foundation and TEGRAD came on board to support “this worthy course”, adding “we hope to get more organisations on board to continue and enhance the FEMIP.”

In an interview with ahantanews360 at the end of the project, the Executive Director of FoRADev, Samuel Kojo Brace, said his organisation and Ghana Think Foundation, together with TEGRAD decided to implement the project on Founders Day because that is what the day should be about.

According to him the National Founders’ Day should not be used for partying, rather, it must be used for reliving the contributions of the founding fathers.

He explained that the founding fathers committed their resources to ensure Ghana gains its independence from Britain, and therefore on  a day which has been set aside to celebrate them, people should do things that enhance the welfare of Ghanaians.

“This day is to remember those who contributed to the building of this nation; those who contributed their energy, their time, and everything to make sure we became independent. Now if we have a day to remember these people, how can we do it? I think it is not about partying. It is through trying to relive what they did,”Mr. Brace said.

He said Ghana has so many problems that people should use Founders Day to find solutions to, adding that together, we can help find solutions to the numerous challenges confronting the nation.

“So if it was left to me, I would say that on a day such as the Founders’ Day, we should try to do something small in our own way to contribute towards finding solutions to the numerous challenges that confront our nation,” he said. 

Mr Joshua Mantey, the Cape Coast Coordinator for the National Volunteers Day of the Ghana Think Foundation, said his organisation was touched by the fact that the district had been performing poorly at the BECE for the past three years and therefore decided to partner FoRADev and TEGRAD to implement the FEMIP, which had “a great objective of helping pupils to improve their academic performance”.

Emmanuel Ntsiful/ahantanews360