{"id":659713,"date":"2019-07-19T06:50:10","date_gmt":"2019-07-19T06:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/div> \n\n \n\n \n"},"modified":"2019-07-19T06:50:10","modified_gmt":"2019-07-19T06:50:10","slug":"mtn-heroes-of-change-2019-meet-the-ekumfi-man-putting-books-on-library-shelves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/07\/19\/mtn-heroes-of-change-2019-meet-the-ekumfi-man-putting-books-on-library-shelves\/","title":{"rendered":"MTN Heroes of Change 2019: Meet the Ekumfi man putting books on library shelves"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n
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How
\n many volunteer teachers in rural communities have taken the initiative
\nto help the schools they have offered their service to for short
\nperiods? Not many.<\/p>\n

But
\n Frank Abeku Adams, whose research studies for his undergraduate
\ncertificate took him to Ekumfi, as a volunteer teacher, decided to help
\nthe community senior high school<\/p>\n

\"Frank<\/figure>\n

Thanks to crowdfunding, Frank, an agri-business investor, has been able to stock the libraries at the senior high school and basic schools with the right books which have improved the level of literacy and education in the Ekumfi District. Through his project, Book the Shelve, Frank is not just putting smiles on the faces of pupils and students in Ekumfi but improving their lives alongside.<\/p>\n

Many
\n students in the community are fishermen, hunters and farmers and
\nusually many victims of child trafficking come from Ekumfi and this is
\nsimply because the access to quality education is highly restricted. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy research studies in 2010 for my undergraduate certificate, took me to Ekumfi as a volunteer teacher. Aside it being purely historical research, I took interest in the socio-economic development of the district because of some government documents I came across. <\/p>\n

By
\n then I had already registered an organization back in school, so
\nthrough that I launched the project here in Ekumfi with the intention of
\n raising more volunteers to come support and help with the illiteracy
\nchallenge, but it became a problem so I rather started advocating for
\nfunds to stock the empty libraries,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Book the Shelve, he noted, is basically about acquiring more books and other reading materials into Ekumfi district to help fight the challenge of illiteracy. The two key areas he has identified as the source of the challenge is the unavailability of reading materials and also unavailability of personnel or proper tuition to guide and fight the illiteracy challenge in the children. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn
\n fact in Ekumfi district, all basic schools have no libraries to even
\nhave reading materials. So book the shelve is just to solve this
\nproblem. Aside from advocating and raising funds, on a scale of 1 to
\n100percent, 35percent of the funding comes from my pocket and the rest
\nare as a result of donations of books, and small sums of money,\u201d he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n

Through his hard work, the first set of students who were lured back to the classroom with the books and without paying fees have now come back from tertiary education as volunteer teachers. Two of them are also now teachers in Kumasi, another is in the University of Cape Coast, a First Class student. \u201cThis same project took me to Sierra Leone to render my support to a similar project.\u201d<\/p>\n

Challenges<\/p>\n

With a literacy project like this, a lot of the challenge had to do with funds and trust. The books are very expensive and accessing the needs, some of them had to be imported from the United States, he said. \u201cNow the people who were supporting with donations need to establish some sort of trust with me to know that their support is actually for the right course.\u201d <\/p>\n

Going
\n forward, he intends getting more funding and the platform, get
\nconnected to people of like mind and interest so that he could do more
\nfor the district because Ekumfi has 55 basic schools and no a single one
\n of them has a library.<\/p>\n

Frank
\n was nominated by Laud Kweku Sekyi who noted that Frank\u2019s project is one
\n that he has been following on social media, aside having a personal
\nrelationship with him. <\/p>\n

\u201cI
\n thought it was a very laudable project that was worth sharing, and the
\nwhole world needs to see. In as much as I am personally interested in
\neducation and development, it was time to support him and nominating him
\n was the way I could get him the support he needs.\u201d <\/p>\n

Heroes of Change background<\/p>\n

Commenting
\n on Frank\u2019s project, the Corporate Services Executive of MTN Ghana,
\nSamuel Koranteng said: \u201cwe initiated the MTN Heroes of Change to
\nidentify and reward projects such as \u2018Book the Shelve\u2019.\u201d <\/p>\n

The
\n other nine nominees are Diana Adjei, David Hagan, Louisa Enyonam Ansah,
\n Daniel Owusu Asiamah, Justin Yelevielbayire, Mawusi Awity, Charles
\nOfori Antipem, Rev. Fr. Dominic Azumah and Benjamin Akinkang. Their
\nprojects which range from health, education and economic empowerment
\nhave benefited members of their communities over the years.<\/p>\n

MTN
\n Heroes of Change Season 5 was launched in November 2018 and submission
\nof entries ended on 25th January 2019.\u00a0 Since the inception of MTN
\nHeroes of Change in July 2013, a total of 40 people have been identified
\n and recognized on MTN Heroes of Change platform for committing their
\npersonal resources to improve their communities and brightening lives. <\/p>\n

Four
\n out of the total number emerged ultimate winners. They are Dr
\nAbrokwa-Yenkyera, a plastic surgeon and founder of Grafts Foundation;
\nMadam Paulina Opei, founder of Save Our Lives Orphanage; Genevieve
\nBasigha founder of Research Utilization School for the Deaf; and Naomi
\nEsi Amoah of Blessed Home Orphanage.<\/p>\n

Heroes of Change Season 5 is airing on: <\/p>\n

TV3<\/p>\n

Friday:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 6:00 pm<\/p>\n

Saturday:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 5:50 pm<\/p>\n

Sunday:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 5:50 pm<\/p>\n

GH ONE<\/p>\n

Friday:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 9:20pm<\/p>\n

Saturday:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 8:20pm<\/p>\n

Sunday:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 8:20pm<\/p>\n

UTV<\/p>\n

Thursday:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 7:40pm<\/p>\n

Saturday:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 4:50 pm<\/p>\n

Sunday:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 3:45pm<\/p>\n

ADOM TV<\/p>\n

Friday:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 8:50pm<\/p>\n

Saturday:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 5:50pm<\/p>\n

Sunday:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 6:20pm<\/p>\n

ANGEL TV<\/p>\n

Friday:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 7:20pm<\/p>\n

Saturday:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 7:20pm<\/p>\n

Sunday: \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 7:20pm<\/p>\n

GTV<\/p>\n

Wednesday:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 8:00pm<\/p>\n

Thursday:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 8:00pm<\/p>\n

Saturday:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 6:00pm<\/p>\n<\/div>\n