Journalists, Authors, Heads Of Public Institutions Rally Behind Raising Readers’ Initiative

Journalists, authors, child advocates and head of public institutions have declared their support for raising readers’ initiative by Tigo Shelter for Education and Raising Readers Ghana, which aims to highlight the importance of reading, especially with young children in deprived communities.

The first community reading, which comes off this Saturday, 29th April 2017 will witness journalists and bloggers including Michael Oti-Adjei, Ameyaw Debrah, Betty Baisiwa Dowuona-Hammond, Francis Abban and Anita Erskine, reading with children in a four-hour session at Bukom Park in Accra.

They will be joined by Tigo employees, the former Minister for Sports and Member of Parliament of Odododiodio Constituency, Nii Lantey Vandepuije, head of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Josephine Nkrumah, among others.

“Raising Readers initiative is definitely one career-changing experience for me as a author of children’s literature. It’s a lifetime opportunity to meet and interact with the very people I love to write for. I’m ecstatic to be a part of this great initiative,” said author Nana Ama Osae.

Thrilled television presenter Betty Baisiwa Dowuona-Hammond also said: “This is something I love to do, being around children, especially the less fortunate ones. I shudder to imagine what the future of these young will be if only they could have access and a reasonable chance of being in an environment that encourages and provides the resources for childhood development through reading. And then I'm thinking, if we can't fix the older folks, at least let's not miss the golden opportunity with these young, bright and eager ones.”

The first phase of the initiative will run until the end of 2017, and more celebrities and prominent persons are expected read with the children in communities.