Mr. Richard Baku, the partnership facilitator of Tongu Cluster of Projects for Compassion International (Ghana), has urged religious bodies, non-state organisations and individuals to intensify their support to government in fighting negative attitudes of children and the youth for improved socio-economic development of the country.
Speaking at a special youth forum recently, Mr. Baku said that several factors contribute to the indulgence of young people in deviant attitudes and that there is the need for non-state bodies to effectively partner government so as to identify such factors properly and to tackle them.
“This forum gives us a great opportunity to renew our commitment to mitigate the numerous challenges that the youth of our time are saddled with which include lack of access to quality education, inadequate monitoring opportnuities, inadequate recreational and counselling services, negative peer influence, high unemployment resulting from inadequate and inappropriate training for the job market, get-rich-quick attitude, inappropriate use of social media, occultism and high incidence of drug and substance abuse. There is the need for us as non-state organisations, religious bodies and individuals to support the government of the day to help these young people to discover, build and to maximise their potentials so as to make meaningful contributions to addressing the numerous challenges that our society faces”, he said.
In his remark, as the guest speaker, Mr. Yaw Semorde, the Volta Regional Director of National Youth Authority, advised the participants to invest their time and energies in productive activities.
“There is no meaningful gain in being truant, disrespectful and alcoholic. Your life improves and future better secured as you study hard, obey others, and invest your time and energy in useful activities”, Mr. Semorde said.
The Tongu Cluster of Projects of Compassion International (Ghana), a non-governmental organisation with a staff of 274, partners some 14 local churches to support 4, 102 needy children from 14 communities within the South Tongu, Central Tongu and North Tongu districts, including Vome, Mafi Dove, Mafi Devime, Volo, New Bakpa, Sogakope, Mafi Adidome, Mafi Asiekpe, Mafi Gidikpo, Kpoviadzi, Mafi Kumase, Mafi Anfoe, Mafi Zongo and Afiadenyigba.
From Anthony Amoah, Mafi-Kumase (V/R)
