Nokia is Investing In the Future!

Norwegian Students Visit Ghana to Sign Partnership Deal with Ghanaian Counterparts

An initiative by a not-for-profit organization JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT and Nokia to encourage youths in Ghanaian secondary schools develop interest in entrepreneurship seems to be yielding fruits. Known as the Enterprise without Borders (EwB), the initiative aims at helping to build entrepreneurial partnership between schools in Africa, Middle East, Europe and the United States of America. Under the initiative, student enterprises are set up, and they engage in cross-border businesses via the internet.

 Half and Half Trade at Lambertseter Secondary School in Oslo, Norway are in Ghana to among other things, sign a joint venture agreement with a Ghanaian student enterprise GIANT LINK. They will also participate in diverse cultural activities.

Giving further detail about the EwB initiative, the Executive Director of JA, Jefferson Agbai explained that the cross border international partnerships are facilitated through the Enterprise without Borders (EwB) portal. Teachers and students register for participation and students upload their company profiles and enter an entrepreneurial dating game. Mr. Agbai said the EwB is about students sharing good ideas, selling each other’s products in each others’ markets and visiting their markets. The portal operates as a web-shop. The products and services of the companies registered can all be viewed there.

On his part, the Head of Communications for Nokia West Africa, Osagie Ogunbor said Nokia is proud to be associated with the EwB initiative, which essentially promotes innovation and creativity among youths. He said the values being promoted among the youths through the Enterprise without Borders are in sync with Nokia values.

The EwB, which began in Ghana in 2009, has reached over 200 students across the five regions of Ghana. The coordinator of EwB in Ghana Kwabena Kugblenu disclosed that 14 student enterprises were created in the 2009/2010 academic session. He said Junior Achievement has concluded plans to get more students involved in the Enterprise without Borders initiative. He thanked NOKIA for the sponsorship, which he said has helped a great deal in sustaining the programme.

 "Wouldn't you rather grab a Nokia handset,they are just Great and giving back to Society by investing in the Future" - ghanabakwamena.

About Junior Achievement® (JA)

Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through a dedicated volunteer network, Junior Achievement provides in-school and after-school programs for students which focus on three key content areas: work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. Today, 137 individual area operations reach more than four million students in the United States, with an additional five million students served by operations in 123 other countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.ja.org. 

For More Information, Contact:

Kwabena Gameli Kugblenu

Programme Communications

Junior Achievement Ghana

+233-24-3019322

Kwabena.kugblenu@yahoo.com

About Nokia

At Nokia, we are committed to connecting people. We combine advanced technology with personalized services that enable people to stay close to what matters to them. Every day, more than 1.2 billion people connect to one another with a Nokia device – from mobile phones to advanced smartphones and high-performance mobile computers. Today, Nokia is integrating its devices with innovative services through Ovi (www.ovi.com), including music, maps, apps, email and more.  Nokia's NAVTEQ is a leader in comprehensive digital mapping and navigation services, while Nokia Siemens Networks provides equipment, services and solutions for communications networks globally.

Nokia
Communications
Tel. +2347064186685
Email: osagie.ogunbor@nokia.com
www.nokia.com

Child Rights- A Foreign Culture?

I have grown into a fine young man because my basic rights were made available for me to access. Furthermore, my Mum and the rest of my family and society ensured I enjoyed it with responsibility. I must state that I have gone through a lot though- corporal punishment at home and in school, not being able to speak my mind and my views left unconsidered at most times. It made me feel sad.

Traditionally, every parent wants the best for their ward, this is indeed the truth, but how that is ensured- the means, is what must be questioned.

Rights simply ensure individuals proper development. If you have a right to do or to have something, you are morally or legally entitled to do it or to have it. Your rights are the things you are entitled to do or have. Basically, there are four pillars of Rights of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child; Survival, Protection, Participation and Development. Understanding these may help live in peace with rights in our society and not see it as western influence or foreign culture as people may think.

Survival: is the fact of continuing to live or exist in spite of great danger or difficulty. Every parent yearns to see their ward survive, right from day 1 of their birth, usually post and ante-natal care coupled with parental love makes a child’s survival possible at a tender stage.

Protection: from diseases, harm and other social evils keeps the child safe, still ensuring better living of the child. Note, to protect someone or something means to prevent them from being harmed or damaged.

Participation, if you participate in an activity, you are involved in it with other people. It is the right if every child to be part of making decisions at the home, school and community in which they live in especially issues that directly concern or affect them. Gone are days when children were seen and not heard, when given the chance to express themselves, they listen to the contribution of others.

Now, on Development- When someone or something develops, or when someone develops something, the person or thing grows or changes over a period of time and usually becomes more advanced or complete. Children develop best when Educated, and brought up in morally and socially upright environment- this automatically develops them spiritually.

Interesting- huh? Like a balanced meal, when a child’s life is well balanced with the pillars of rights above they grow stronger, smarter and better for their homes, communities and the nation at large in the near future. May I be quick to add that many children who lack these may become a burden or liabilities to society, Agree?

I believe in partnering and sharing best practices, I see nothing wrong with replicating values to ensure proper development.

Rights are so Right!

UNICEF’s mission is to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. UNICEF is guided in doing this by the provisions and principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Built on varied legal systems and cultural traditions, the Convention is a universally agreed set of non-negotiable standards and obligations. These basic standards—also called human rights—set minimum entitlements and freedoms that should be respected by governments. They are founded on respect for the dignity and worth of each individual, regardless of race, colour, gender, language, religion, opinions, origins, wealth, birth status or ability and therefore apply to every human being everywhere. With these rights comes the obligation on both governments and individuals not to infringe on the parallel rights of others. These standards are both interdependent and indivisible; we cannot ensure some rights without—or at the expense of—other rights.

A legally binding instrument

The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rights—civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. In 1989, world leaders decided that children needed a special convention just for them because people under 18 years old often need special care and protection that adults do not. The leaders also wanted to make sure that the world recognized that children have human rights too.

The Convention sets out these rights in 54 articles and two Optional Protocols. It spells out the basic human rights that children everywhere have: the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life. The four core principles of the Convention are non-discrimination; devotion to the best interests of the child; the right to life, survival and development; and respect for the views of the child. Every right spelled out in the Convention is inherent to the human dignity and harmonious development of every child. The Convention protects children's rights by setting standards in health care; education; and legal, civil and social services.

By agreeing to undertake the obligations of the Convention (by ratifying or acceding to it), national governments have committed themselves to protecting and ensuring children's rights and they have agreed to hold themselves accountable for this commitment before the international community. States parties to the Convention are obliged to develop and undertake all actions and policies in the light of the best interests of the child.

Soccer than Ever...... lol!

         Right after the World Cup and the performance of the Black Stars of Ghana and their whooping USD $20,000 bonus for getting far in the tournament, many parents are pushing their kids into learning or joining a local team in their communities not only that, some of the children I spoke to said their parent were ready to finance their sporting activities... This wasn't so years so, soccer or football was seen as a sport or game for truants, also the game wasn't had no respect in some homes.

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The Whole truth!

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) will be 21 soon, our Children’s Act 560 also turns 12 this year. How are we balancing the equation 21:12 by making sure, All rights are enjoyed by all Children? My friends and I explored life at one of Ghana’s busiest market places. Business was on as usual and the scorching sun spared none at the Accra-Tema station, trotros moved in and out as mates called out to passengers, hawkers and market women were not left out- they sung the names of their displayed wares to catch the attention of passersby.
A week earlier we had visited and noticed the number of children in labour at the place had gone down, thanks to advocacy and interventions from Government and N.G.O’s, much still needs to be done till streetism is no more. The girls we saw were into head porting, popularly known as ‘Kayayei’, they looked able-bodied and small in features, one could guess they were between ages eight and thirteen. Our curiosity to know more led to an interview with them and other children we later met. Surprisingly, all the girls we spoke to hail from Wale-wale in Northern Ghana, and poverty was mostly blamed for their moving to Accra to seek greener pastures, only to realize it was not green down south as they had heard.
Evelyn, Caleb, Gabriel, Amponsah and I spoke to Ayisha, a ten year old ‘Kayayoo’, she held a huge pan with which she carried her goods, goods sometimes more than she weighed. She ate once a day, if lucky twice, it made us wonder how she managed a meal or two with her tiring job. Ayisha was schooling, but had to drop out of primary three as they moved to Accra, how then do we achieve MDG 2(achieving universal primary education by 2015)? Malik, a ten year old pure-water hawker starts work in the morning till 9pm and often beyond if he did not sell an expected amount- night work, depriving him of education and his proper development, we had to buy some of pure water to make up for the time spent with him. Malik revealed he stayed with a foster family and all the biological children of that family are in school and he was promised education, from where he is now, education is out of sight. Malik unlike Ayisha (who looked confused and left the question unanswered) when asked what he wants to be in future, boldly replied “I would love to be a Taxi-driver”. I was not surprised, it was all around him, I believe Malik would aim higher if he was in school.
Where Ayisha and others sleep is nothing to write home about, they lack proper shelter, you should see Tema station at night; the place crowded with people packed like sardines on the floors, sleeping on card boards with rubber covering them as they endured the cold nights and rainy days. Others had kiosks to manage, not free, unscrupulous men take advantage of their vulnerability and make many young mothers-“Children caring for their own children”, and this may continue in a vicious cycle, her children may end up the same way on our streets. Considering their features, they might lose their babies or their lives in delivery. How, do we then achieve MDG 4 and 5, which seek to reduce child mortality and maternal mortality respectively?
Again, in an age where role models and mentors are vital to help young ones shape their lives to be the best they can be and contribute to Ghana’s development, our young siblings on the streets have none but; prostitutes, drug addicts, pick-pockets, fraudsters, thieves and armed-robbers to look up to, where then lies the better future for Ghana? Some of the market women make few of these Kayayei their sales girls, good, but not enough to ameliorate their state, and though there have been some interventions here and there, they do not seem to directly address issues of streetism, child labour etc.
Need I say more? We are all involved, for we are also affected. How? Our social amenities i.e. hospitals, buses, schools are pressured when folks migrate to Accra and else where. Secondly, security and safety of citizens becomes an issue when street children become misfits, thereby monies allocated to other equally important but urgent developmental projects are diverted to solve such issues. Children like Ayisha and Malik are in need of care, protection and education. Who knows? They are resourceful and have potential to solve some of Ghana’s problems and build our world together with the fortunate.
-Cecil Ato Kwamena Dadzie
(ghanabakwamena)