Host of Joy FM’s Cosmopolitan Mix show Doreen Andoh has presented hundreds of reading books to pupils in deprived schools in the Volta Region.
The queen of the airwaves presented the books to the pupils at a colourful ceremony at Mafi Seva in the Central Tongu District as part of her Book Farm Project.
The project has the objective of encouraging reading among pupils to help better education standards.
“It’s out of love for you and the fact that we think about you. And we wish and pray that you are good, responsible and educated adults in the future. That’s why I do this with the help of my friends,” she said at the ceremony to hand over the books to community leaders.
Hundreds of pupils from the four schools that benefited from the books participated in the ceremony. The beneficiary schools are Mafi Seva R/C School, Mafi Zongo E. P. Primary, Mafi Adiekpe Primary and Mafi Wudzrolo Primary and JHS Schools.
She spent time reading with the children and encouraged them to take the habit of reading seriously.
“I need for you to take your books seriously. I need you to read and understand what you are reading so that you can apply it to your everyday life. I would admit that as a kid, I hated reading and my mother used to cane me all the time.
“But, I had to change because I realized that the world wasn’t in my house. The world was outside there and I had to face it only if I could read, know and understand what was happening outside,” Doreen Andoh said.
Assembly member for Mafi Zongo Julius Karl Fieve assured the pupils will make effective use of the books because as community leaders, they know the importance of reading.
“These children we see today holds the key to our future as individuals, community and a country. They are the surest bet to take us from the chuckles of poverty and the jaws of underdevelopment.
“We, therefore, have a role to play in their future because their future is our future. I can tell you that a reading child is a victorious child, and reading Nation is a victorious nation,” he said.
“What children need and hope for is education and school. A nation’s hope relies on Children and Children’s hope relies on Education! I am encouraging the teachers to set aside at least 1 hour per week for the students to read these books,” Mr. Fieve added.
Head of Supervision at the Central Tongu office of the Ghana Education Service Gershon Ada called on parents to encourage their children to take reading seriously.
Teachers of the schools promised to support the children in their reading activities. They appealed for more support from Doreen Andoh’s Book Farm Project and other well-meaning Ghanaians to improve upon education infrastructure.
The pupils indicated the donation of the books was a major source of encouragement for them to adopt reading as a habit.
“We are going to use the book wisely. We will read from them and learn from them,” Class 6 pupil Nuve Felis said after the donation.
