Our Children Deserve Better – Kwaku Ohene Frimpong
Dr. Kwaku Ohene Frimpo
ng declared at the weekend of June 16 that only a few Ghanaian children have access to quality education. The famed professor of medicine was the chairperson at a dinner dance by the Akyem Association of New Jersey at the Ramadan Plaza Hotel at the Liberty International Airport at Newark, NJ. The night’s event was also a fundraiser for an education fund by the association and also to install an “Abusuapanin”. The abusuapanin would function as an elder and counselor to the executive of the association and members.
The renowned medical practitioner who was the keynote speaker explained how fate led him to further his studies in the U.S. He explained that the scholarship he obtained to study at Yale University in the United States was an African Scholarship Program for American Universities (ASPAU) offer that was given to Ghana. He was just lucky to have passed the qualifying examinations for the offer. There were a good number of equally brilliant prospects, he said.
For the past 18 years, Dr. Frimpong said he has introduced the American Sickle Cell model to Ghana. He added that he has been involved in the program as a way of giving back to his country.
He observed that several children in the rural areas of Ghana are missing the opportunities open to others elsewhere. Ironically, the underserved children are the majority. Fears are that many children in Ghana if asked what they would like to be when they grew up would draw a blank and say “I don’t know.” Hope for them is fading away, he added. He identified the weakened state of the public school system in the country as one of the reasons for the sad state of affairs. Fortunately he named some schools as some of the best in the system. He mentioned Wesley Girls High School as one of them.
Prof. Ohene Frimpong emphasized the need to educate all children, adding that support for children should not be restricted to any one area in the country. “Go to all our children, but not some of our children.” He urged all to come together to help children not because of who or where they happen to be. He cited as an example that the government of Brazil donated $14 million for the sickle cell project in Ghana for children. They did not identify any particular children from any ethnic group or region or part of the country. He therefore appealed to all to donate generously to help needy children in Ghana. He told the audience that he was a beneficiary of Okyeman scholarship.
Dr. Frimpong bemoaned the current spate of ethnic strife and the erosion of communal understanding among the various ethnic groups in Ghana and said that we all happen to be the same people.
The professor emeritus of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania and director emeritus, Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center of the Childrens’ Hospital of Philadelphia spoke also about bringing up children away from home. He urged that parents to instill in their children in the diaspora the cultural values of their native countries. “Even as our individual cultures and traditions enrich our diversities, Ghanaians must see themselves more as one people”, he opined.
The highlight of the night’s event was the enstoolment of Mr. Adu Sarkodie as the Abusuapanin of Akyem Association of New Jersey. The short but simple ceremony showcased the richness of Akyem culture and traditions.
In his welcoming address, president of Akyem Association of New Jersey, Richard Antwi Boasiako urged members to donate more to the fund to enable more children to benefit from the scholarship program for which the fund is earmarked.
Posted by admin
on Jul 16 2012. Filed under Community News.
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