On Tuesday October 11, 2022, World Reader Ghana and Women in PR held a novel event for some school children at JamesTown in Accra to mark International Girl Child Day.
The programme, dubbed the ‘DigiRead X’Perienxce’ was held at the Dunk Library at JamesTown to whip up interest in reading among the school children and also educate them on some key issues.
Representatives from the two organisations spent quality time interacting with the pupils from Alko International School, Hamsptead Academy and Glorious Prince Academy.
The schoolchildren were advised on the crucial role reading plays in their lives, regardless of the profession they intend to venture into.
Some of the children joined the organisers to read a book on child abuse – Ayanda Says No to Child Abuse – a narrative which detailed the various forms of abuse kids can suffer and the best ways to deal with it.
Prizes were awarded to the school kids who were able to answer questions on the lessons they picked up while listening to the story.
The children, particularly the girls, were also advised to speak out whenever they felt they were being abused in any way and not be intimidated into remaining silent.
“At this age, no one should tell us that we should marry somebody. You have to finish school and become a pilot, a soldier, or anything you want to become,” the girls were advised by a representative from the Society for Family Health International Ghana.
World Reader’s Kezia Agbenyega was emphatic about the need to educate children, particularly girls about identifying abuse and being able to speak out against it right from a young age, irrespective of who might be the perpetrator.
She believes that reading is one way to get that message across effectively, hence the idea to engage with the school kids on the DigiRead X’perience.
The founder of Women in PR, Faith Senam Ocloo also noted how important it is for established professionals to guide the youth and help them reach their full potential.
About World Reader Ghana
Worldreader is a non-profit body that works globally with partners to support vulnerable and underserved communities with digital reading solutions that help improve learning outcomes, workforce readiness, and gender equity.
Represented in Ghana by Leslie Tettey, the Regional Director for West Africa, the group is dedicated to working toward improving educational system performance in the region by leveraging the use of digital technology in classrooms and homes and scale e-reading programs into more schools and libraries.