FOR SMILES IN THE WORLD...

  October 2010, I started to distribute the balls and equipment to the recipient schools, which were donated by Japanese supporters through JICA’s program, called SEKAI NO EGAO NO TAMENI, means for smiles in the world in Japanese language. In this month, I had reception ceremonies in each place, namely Yaohima, Kobedi, Kwatire schools in Sunyani District and Buoku schools in Wench District in Btong Ahafo region. I am going to provide them in Adantia and Ahyiaem schools as well in next month.

   Purpose to apply this program and provide sports equipments is to help promote Physical Education in schools of Ghana and to link together people in developing countries who need assistance and Japanese who are willing to join international cooperation. Initial prompt was my mother in Japan. She is a chairman of Mothers’ Volleyball Association of the local district. Volleyball is her lifework and she plays twice a week and judges games every Sunday. I have thought of that volleyball would be potential to unit people between Ghana and Japan if volleyball were popular in Ghana. I started to go round school in order to introduce school environment to my family since they would come to Ghana, actually they came in October 2010. 

   One day, teachers in Ahyiaem invited me to sports event in Ntoromeso, at Wench District. I went there and finally found that they played volleyball as well as football, netball, handball and field athletic. Rather I encountered wonderful teacher who demonstrated and taught volleyball very well! He worked in Buoku. Then, it convinced me that he would definitely utilize the donation from Japan. I applied and they came. I would like to express my deep appreciation to my family, mothers who donated twenty volleyballs and a net, and CANON CUP JUNIOR SUCCER OFFICE, who donated us fifteen footballs.

   I provided volleyballs in six communities’ schools, including Buoku JHS though it was not my area but because of the reason I mentioned above, and footballs in five communities’ schools in my assigned area. In every schools, I consulted with headmasters and headmistresses and we held a ceremony involved whole the stakeholders in the community. I agreed that all the head teachers insisted the gifts to school were the benefits for the community, so that it should be appealed to everybody. Headmaster in Kwatire rather called media people from FM radio to share the joy and let people in the community known. He also invited Assembly Man, a politician in the community, to the ceremony.

Assembly Man in Kwatire
Young and passionate

Headmaster in Kwatire School

our buddy, Mr.Boama
a leader in our Green Belt Activity
a chairman of PTA, SMC, and UC (Unit Committee)
key person there and very kind papa

   The unexpected outcome was brought through the process to realize the ceremonies. As I mentioned above in what we had in Zion Week, I wanted to invite parents to the school so as to promote their involvement into school management and their interests in formal education for children. School issue is not my core objective, but again, children are our future generation. 

   Protection of forest resource?...my Green Belt Activity, including plantation of fruit trees on the boundary of the forest reserve and establishment of nursery for the fruit seedlings… 

   Alternative livelihood?... my Income Generation Activity for soap making groups, Moringa soap in Afrasu and Amonkye soap in Adantia… 

   To preserve environment is to inherit our property for next generation. And to develop higher living standard and get larger income for house-economics is to give our children good nutrition, health care, education and hygiene. All my activities is going ahead one-direction, linking together at one point… for community development. I believe all the grass roots projects in community development program are to be mutually functioned. (That is called synergetic effect or somethingm, though most of the development program fail in the field unfortunately) This was happened in front of me. The balls led the chance to put everything together in one place. It was a chemical. All the stakeholders who I have built relationship with in this one and half years worked together for community wealth. The distribution has not finished yet, so I still observe what we have and occur in my next communities.