Sakumono Community Education Fund supports youth
The Sakumono Community Education (SCE) Fund, an initiative of the Anointed One Congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, was established in July 2013, to assist the youth to further their education and help them acquire employable skills to pursue careers that will enable them lead meaningful lives.
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This was in view of the realisation that a number of schoolchildren in the Sakumono community and its environs, dropped out of school after their basic education, mainly because most families in the community could not afford the cost of secondary and tertiary education for their children.
Apart from the fact that such children are left with no vocational and employable skills, the youth become vulnerable to social vices and some of the girls become victims of teenage pregnancy.
Community initiative programme
The fund, which is the church's community initiative programme, is to provide a platform to mobilise individuals, churches and organisations in the community to make periodic donation to the fund to raise money to support and empower the youth.
Giving an account of the operation of the fund at a ceremony to mark its first anniversary at the weekend, the Chairman of the board of the SCE Fund, Dr Steve A. Mickson, said since its establishment, management of the fund had organised awareness-creation and sensitisation programmes, to mobilise resources for the sustainable operation of the fund, indicating that one of such services was the Coins Box Educational Investment plan that was being managed in collaboration with a financial and insurance company.
The plan encourages individuals in the community to contribute at least GHC 0.70p every day, towards the future education of their wards.
He said the fund has also outdoored the SCE Fund Club 100, which aims at mobilising 100 patriotic individuals and philanthropic organisations, to periodically contribute some money to the fund, to offer scholarships to needy students and provide skills training to identifiable youths or youth groups in the community.
Dr Mickson, who is also the Senior Presbyter of the Anointed One Congregation, said a career fair and entrepreneurial day was held for the youth in June this year, to educate the community and participants on career planning, admission procedures and entry opportunities into selected universities in the country.
Career fair
He also said with support from the MP for Tema West, Ms Irene Naa Torshie Addo, the SCE Fund held its maiden Educational Improvement Programme for some pupils and students in the Sakumono Community and periphery communities in August this year, which was participated by 150 pupils and students, who were taken through various subjects, including reading, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and mathematics.
He announced that during its meeting in July this year, the board approved the establishment of an ICT laboratory, at a cost of GHC 150,000.00, to serve the community, and appealed for more support from philanthropic individuals and organisations to support the project, so that the fund could assist more students.
Hard work
Dr Mickson advised the youth to study hard in order to benefit from the scheme, and used the opportunity to express appreciation to all those who had contributed in various ways towards the operation of the fund, mentioning in particular support from the Tema Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Isaac Ashai Odamtten; the MP for Tema West, Ms Irene Naa Torshie Addo, and the Municipal Education Directorate.
In his address, Mr Odamtten lauded the efforts of the initiators of the programme, describing it as reassuringand stressed: “We stand to gain as a nation if we focus on education.”
He said the assembly had resolved to improve educational infrastructure in the municipality, and also integrate healthcare programmes in the provision of quality education.
For his part, the Chairman of the Tema West New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Edward Asare Mantey, represented the MP and donated stationery on her behalf to those who participated in the Educational Improvement Programme. He advised the youth to take advantage of the fund to improve their knowledge.
