An interview with Agormor Richard Delali Del (RD) with Emmanuel Woma (EW)

1. EW – Can you please tell me about your organization and how you got involved with your organization?
• RD – The name of the organization is called Alliance For SDGs Network and what we do is to connect our African communities which surround us. In particular, the four Francophone countries around Ghana; Abidjan, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo.
Alliance For SDGs Network is a global collective of young people who want to peruse and champion the SDGs so that at the end of the day we can meet the agenda 2030 and also to develop our nation as well.
I got involved in this organization because I happen to work with World Merit (an organization that begun in UK) and Joshua, our leader saw the potential in me because we both worked together. So as far as the world is concerned and that’s why we got ourselves into this organization.

2. EW – In regards to the SDGs, which one are you passionate about ?
• RD – I am passionate about many SDGs but specifically I have enthusiasm for Goal 17 which is Partnership for the Goals. We have realized that we need to partner with other people and also as young people we need to come out as a global citizen so that we can partner together, seek for advice or council and information to put together in one basket and to protect the African continent and also be able to solve problems in the African countries.

3. EW- What does it mean to be a global citizen?
• RD- Global citizen as itself as a whole is creating awareness, understanding the wider world and also trying to cooperate with the institutions that are governed. As far as global citizenshop is concerned I just want to encourage the youth to just get collaborating so that we go wider and understand what the world is all about

4. EW – How do you see Move the World and your organization collaborating.
• RD – I have understood or I have seen that Move The World is also one of the organization that is trying to take on the world and I believe we can join forces together. Trust me when we come to the issue of SDGs , Alliance For SDGs Network has the people who have traveled outside the country and inside the country, so we have plenty of experience that if we team up with MTW we can make sure we empower the young generation and to project the image of Africa and the world as well.

Find out more about Alliance for SDGs Network here:
http://allianceforsdgsnetwork.org/
https://www.facebook.com/All4sdgs/

Hawa was able to connect with Richard Siaw over a video chat. Heres what he has to say about his organisation and how the SDG’s play into the impact they are making.

To find out more about Richard and VOIICE head to: https://www.facebook.com/voiicefoundation/
or: voiicefoundation on instagram

1 What does it mean to be a Global Citizen?:
It’s heavily built on the concept of awareness. The understanding of what goes on beyond your community and what happens in other jurisdictions and how that informs the way you behave in your local environment. All these come into play and all these is based on educatio, having the heart and caring about the environment and things beyond oneself.

2 In regards to the SDGs, which one do you feel impacts you the most / OR  which one are you most passionate about?:
Goal 4; Quality Education. In my opinion, all the other goals can be achieved when one is well educated.

3 How did you get involved with your organization?:
GIZ is the name of the company and it’s the initials for the German name of the company. It is a German development cooperation which have a lot of ongoing projects worldwide, funded by the German government and Ghana happens to be one of the big beneficiaries and there are about 80 ongoing projects here in Ghana. one can get into the organisation as a worker via a long process of application. I was lucky to be offered a position in the organisation to manage an entrepreneurship programme within the organisation and that’s how I got to be working with them now.

4 What makes you passionate about what you do within your organization?:
I believe in quality education and entrepreneurship. There has a long of history where people come to Africa and give supporting hands but what they miss is teaching people how to provide for themselves and that’s what I’m really into, helping people to find their potentials and becoming independent.

5 How do you see MTW and your organization collaborating?:
Our organisation is a big umbrella with so many different parts and we are more into economic development; skills development and entrepreneurship so I don’t clearly see a connection because MTW is more into youth empowerment which we lack so i think our company should take a look on that side and maybe step down a letting to that aspect. But there are many opportunities for us partnering in terms of projects which will involve funding “for example the mountain hike” we did some time ago. I can create more connection when it comes that aspect of getting my people on board with activities of that kind but there are other many windows where we can have a strong collaboration so we need to keep doing more of open communication to see what can be done together!

Interview with Joseph Fiagbe

Have a read of Hawa’s conversation with Nuhu on his thoughts on the SDG’s and Global Citizenship

My Name is Nuhu Hakeem, I am the communications and research director of Mother of all Nations Foundation.

1. What does it Mean to be a Global Citizen?

A Global Citizen is a member of an international community of change agents who strive to make the world a better place by helping to fix the challenges the world is facing.

2. In regards to the SDGs, which one do you feel impacts you the most / OR  which one are you most passionate about?

The SDG that I am most passionate about is the SDG4 which seeks to ensure equitable and inclusive quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. As a volunteer facilitator, I have played a significant role in achieving this goal through various Literacy Project for young learners especially now that schools are indefinitely closed/suspended.

3. How did you get involved with your organization?

Through a video l watched on YouTube which was about a particular project, READCAMP, an off campus Literacy program for kids in undeserved communities which seeks to help improve their reading and writing skills. From there I decided to contact the organisation because their objectives is in consonance with mine.

4. What makes you passionate about what you do within your organization?

Seeing our beneficiaries, especially young learners become a better version of themselves makes me Happy and passionate about rendering my selfless service.

5. How do you see MTW and your organization collaborating?

MTW and MOANF can collaborate and form a synergy because both organisation seeks to address the problems in the society around us. My organisation focuses on helping to achieve SDG 1, 2,3, 4, 5, 8 and 10. So I believe we can come together to develop strategies that are geared towards achieving the UN’s SDGs.

Thank you.

Get in touch with Nuhu and the MOAN Foundation:

Website: www.moanf.com

Facebook: @Moanfoundation

Instagram: Moanfoundation

Twitter: Moanfoundation

This month, our facilitators are interviewing “People in the Field” who are working within Global Citizenship and doing great things in our world. First up is….

Executive Director/Founder: Geoffrey Chaucer

Follow JRF here

This is a foundation which is set to tackle juvenile crime and violence in Ghana. Its main objective is to prevent Juvenile delinquency and thereby coming up with interventions that will correct and nurture them into becoming a ha person tomorrow.

Mr. Chaucer believes that a global citizen will usually work with others and make sure that the world is a fair and better place for us all to live in. among all the SDGs, he believes that eradication of poverty is paramount since it cuts across all sectors. Once poverty issues are solved, crime, hunger and other vices will reduce drastically.

Mr. Chaucer started JRF as an academic programme in 2013 when he was working on a project that took him to a place in Accra where the juvenile offenders are kept. he built a very cordial relationship with them through arts (drama, dance, music etc.) and also used it as a means of correcting them. This started JRF.

Mr. Chaucer want to see every young man grow up to be a good role model especially those young ones kept in the correctional facilities. His passion is to see that juvenile crime is dead and its facilities closed in Ghana.

He therefore extends his hands to MTW for a possible collaboration since each organization has similar interest in building the capacity of children to be a much better global citizen. He believes that together we can move the world to a better destination.

Interview with Ben Hayford

Written by Ben Hayford

I work with the youth a lot in my day to day activities. I do a lot of business consulting for them in the area of business registration, the requirements and the processes involved. I also aid them in writing their business plans and proposals. Within a month I am able to consult for 6 young people on the average. Those I speak to informally on a friendly basis are enormous. Youth entrepreneurship has taken a different path in Ghana after the Corona Lockdown. Most young ones has risen to the fact that they need to build something that will last. Most of these young ones are sitting on ground breaking business ideas that need some little guidance and mentoring to make it a reality. Some of these ideas are capable of solve our alarming unemployment challenges should it be materialized.

My expertise as a business set up consultant has opened my eyes and made me realised that goal number 8 of the Sustainable Development Goals is attainable should we take a critical look at youth entrepreneurship. Goal number 8 talks about Decent Work and Economic Growth. For the economy to grow it needs a strong private sector presence that will supplement the government by creating jobs, increasing the employment rate thereby leading to national development. It has been said that it’s better to teach someone how to fish than to always fish for them. Move the World, a non for profit making organisation has join in this campaign through their GetGlobal program where they introduced their students to the Beads Making Activity. This activity was meant to instil in the kids the ability to create business from what they have, develop entrepreneurship skill by learning a skill for themselves.

It gives me great joy to give business support to up and coming entrepreneurs. My team is made up professionals such as lawyers, tax experts and business development experts who are ready to help build small business into magnificent ones. Together let’s create jobs instead of looking for jobs.

Written by Ben Hayford

Education is said to be the bedrock of every nation.
Every nation that fails to invest in education is bound to fail.

Educating the younger generation is very crucial in this regard hence my interest and love for child education. Children are the future of the world and therefore must be prioritised in terms of education.
I came to realise my unflinching support and love for children’s education when I was doing my national service in the Ahafo region. I worked with the National Health Insurance office as a Management Information Systems (MIS) officer.

During my stay at the region, I visited several communities where I realised that most of the kids had lost interest in schooling because they was no motivation for them to go to school or to learn. It was an eye opening and also a very sad experience for me.
One could clearly see the wide gap and the disparities when we talk about rural and urban education. Most of the kids were bare footed with tattered school uniforms with no exercise books to write in. It dawned on me to do something for these young ones.
The name of the school was called ‘Subriso District Assembly School.’ At that time, 2014, the school population was roughly 40 students with only one teacher who also functioned as the headmaster. I took it as a personal responsibility and a challenge to to supply them with basic school materials such as books, textbooks, pens and pencils, shoes and clothings after my national service. I remember donating my first month salary towards this worthy course. I also called some friends and raised some funds to buy teaching and learning materials to support these talented and brilliant young ones but less privileged and somehow neglected in our rural communities. The joy on their faces both children and parents when they saw me back was unprecedented and very touching.

Move The World is doing a great job in bridging this wide gap through their GetGlobal program. I would be super happy if they extend their support to such rural communities. I call upon civil societies and non governmental organisations and the government to take a critical look at rural education. They are also part of us and need to be treated fairly.

*Move the World’s long term goal is to expand into the rural communities as Ben has mentioned here – it is important for us to make connections with schools and communities before offering the programme; but always looking forwards to more opportunities to reach every child in Ghana.

Written by Joseph Fiagbe

Way back in Junior high school, I was a timid and shy boy who only gave his time to Academics and nothing else. One day, our school was to take part in a district culture dance competition festival so the assistant head teacher back then came to my class to ask for volunteers who will be taught some dances to go and compete for our school.

None of us stood up since we were all shy. He started pointing out people himself and I got the pointing hand! We were brought to the Dagara Music Centre to be trained and it was fun learning something new.

We had the first competition right in my school and we were selected for the second level; went for the second level after some few weeks in a different school and we were selected again to join some schools on a mass production to rep our district for district level. It was a joyful moment but we had very few days for the big day so much resources wasn’t invested into us and we got the 4th position at the district level. And that was when I realized my hidden talent. The Boss of DMC, late Bernard Woma saw a rising start in me and asked me to join his culture troupe after JHS completion and I did. My dancing life became serious. I supported my high school also with series of cultural dance programmes and it was fun and after completing high school, I became a full time stuff at the DMC building up my dance life. Through this I meet MTW which was then ATD.

Meeting and working with MTW have been a tremendous positive journey in all walks of life where I’ve become a good facilitator and a global citizen. I have met people from different walks of life and by so doing, I’ve become a master of cultural diversity. I have developed the passion of playing and working with people around me especially kids in helping them to become good global citizens.

Working with MTW is having a great impact on my life where I’ve become a humbly bold and courageous man who will always want to see the world put on a smiling face. Together we can make the world smile!

Written by: Ben Hayford

Joining the Move the World team built me up in so many different ways. My love for kids and their development coupled with my passion for community development made me fall in love with the mission and vision of the Move the World team.

I grew up in a compound house where all my extended family members live together in one compound. We play and do our things together as one big family. We share our challenges as a family and solve them as a family. Nobody lacks anything and nobody goes hungry. I fondly remember there was a time my parents travelled leaving me and my siblings behind. Being the first child, I was supposed to take care of my siblings and I had no clue of that. My big cousin came around and took care of us for 3 good days. Those moments were one of my best childhood times.

Move the World even though a non for profit organisation operates like a family. With MTW, every one counts and everybody is accepted no matter your background. The exposure MTW gave me is that of a transcultural adversity. The ability of people with different cultural background to live in harmony and learn from each other. People of different color and race working toward one particular goal with the sole vision of community and human development. This has really serve as a springboard for me to do the little that I can to support my community.

Being an enthusiast and an advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the GetGlobal program has really enlightened me more on the SDGs and how vital it is to promote and educate people on them.
The GetGlobal program is set to educate children on the first six SDGs within the Medie community, a city located in Ghana. This is the first of it kind in Ghana and I am so glad to be a part.

As a result of this program I was able to educate my immediate family on the SDGs hitherto was not so much interested in it because they have not really seen its impact in their lives. They appreciated the need to think globally and act locally in the attaining the SDGs.
They realized that, for us to achieve at least the first six SDGs, every action they take counts and therefore as a matter of urgency all hands must be on deck in our quest to achieve global peace and tranquillity.

My heartfelt appreciation goes to the Move The World team for granting me such a platform and an opportunity to to realise my dreams and impact people lives.

#GetGlobal #SDGs #MoveTheWorld #Communitydevelopment #worldpeace #UnitedNations #AfricaUnion #Africa #Sustainability #globaleducation #thinkgloballyandactlocally

Written by : Margaret Osei

It’s not just about what we can do but the measures to put in place to do what we can’t do.
– The schools that has neither facilities and enough teachers must be provided for.
– The fear that teachers are called on the table to make decisions but are not really aware how to get there.
– Parents are broken to see their wards stay home for so long.
Our fear is that, there is a lot of different information that scares the world.

SDG 4 strongly talks about Quality Education and if/when our wards get back to school, a lot needs to be done by providing all the necessary measures.

It’s time to face our fear and that is when our decision makers (leaders) needs sit to make better decisions to curb the deadly pandemic.
To confront our challenges and create new life for the world.

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#leadersmustact #decisionnow #provideresources #qualityeducation #allcitizenswork