Saving Lives, One Person At A Time

ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL OF ACCRA IN COLLABORATION WITH CREATIVE STORM (2009)

Crowds of schoolchildren in t-shirts emblazoned with ‘Keep Ghana Clean’ thronged the launch ceremony to support their peers who have made the film, Agbobloshie through the festival's Young Film Makers Workshop. The workshop was supported by Ghana’s Environmental Protection Agency, UNICEF, Australian and Canadian High Commissions. Over the last three years, EFFA has been working with young people from schools across Accra to make films commenting on the environment. The film and its cast were received with roaring applause.

While presenting a fabulous selection of films on environmental and social issues, the festival has increasingly identified the role of young people making videos about their own environmental concerns, in public outreach. Over a period of eight weeks, Creative Storm worked with the group, selected from EFFA’s previous screening programmes to develop their ideas into an original drama production. The group then spent three days filming in Agbobloshie, one of Accra’s most polluted communities. Majority of the cast lived or attended school in the area, which informed the choice of location. During the filming, members of the Agbobloshie community joined the cast and helped with various production logistics.

Agbobloshie offers a compelling message and provides insights into the attitudes and views of youth in Accra on their environment. We found that screening these films about issues so relevant to the daily lives of people in Accra, as seen through the eyes of young people, offered a refreshing approach to tackling environmental problems. Not only were the children involved in making the films touched by the festival, but their peers from their schools and other schools were motivated by the films.

The films produced by the Young Film Makers Workshop also proved popular with audiences at the children’s screenings and open air cinema at Holy Gardens. We hope to expand this component of the festival to reach even bigger audiences with these compelling films by Accra’s youth.

4th Africa Sexual Health & Rights Conference Addis Abba, Ethiopia

My Sexuality,
My Choice,
My Right.

The 4th Africa Conference for Sexual Health and Rights was hosted by IPPF held 9th-12h February at the UN Conference, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. There were about 700 participants in total and drew a wide range of organizations - youth, SRHR, organizations of sexual minorities, people living with disabilities, women's human rights organizations, etc from across Africa. The Conference had 11 Plenary Sessions and 30 Concurrent Sessions. Over 50 Papers were presented at the concurrent sessions. Other events included book launches, including the launching of two IPPF publications - the Sexual Rights Declaration and the 'Healthy, Hot and Happy' guide to the skills building sessions. A 'Call to Action' was agreed upon at the end of the Conference. This summarizes the key issues discussed, and what partners would commit to implementing and monitoring, leading up to the 5th Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights scheduled for Cairo, Egypt.

The conference was preceded by a 2 day Youth Sexuality Institute where 27 young people from across Africa, and drawn mostly from the Youth Action Movement (YAM) participated to engage on issues of sexuality and HIV/AIDS, the theme of the Conference, and more importantly, to draw up a plan of action on how more young people will get engaged in YAM at the national levels. The Youth Sexuality Institute also came up with a Youth Agenda which was presented on the last day of the Conference.

Young Film Makers at Work Stop the Noise! Environmental Patrol Strikes Again!

This year’s festival was launched by Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Deputy Minister for the Environment, Science & Technology. The capacity audience, included members of government and leading international agencies, diplomatic corps, media, prominent environmentalists and school children. Traditional leaders were represented by the Queen Mothers Association of Ghana and Nii Okaidja III, Gbese Mantse, representing Ga Mantse, King Takie Tawiah III.

The distinguished audience was welcomed by Dr Juliette Tuakli, the chairperson of the event who paid tribute to EFFA’s pioneering public educational role since its inception six years ago. She applauded the consistent growth of the festival, stressing the importance of getting the environmental message to all and sundry. She was followed by an inspiring performance by Kings Jubilee, the Liberian acapella group who received rapturous applause for their rendition of Marvin Gaye’s ecology songs.

Mr. Jonathan Allotey, Executive Director of Environmental Protection Agency outlined the challenges Ghana faced as a result of Climate Change and reiterated the importance of a collective, multi – sectoral response supported by public education.

Other distinguished guests gave short messages: Ambassador William (Billy) Williams - Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, Ambassador Claude Maerten – Head of Delegation of The European Union to Ghana, Ambassador Stig Barlyng – Danish Ambassador to Ghana, Mr. Bernard Botte – Deputy Head of Mission and Chargé D'Affaires, French Embassy in Ghana, Dr. Yao Graham – Member, Advisory Council of Environmental & Natural Resources, Ms Juliet Amoah – Business Director of British Council.

Mr. Nii Commey of WIENCO spoke about measures taken by this environmentally friendly company to protect the environment. He congratulated EFFA and pledged his company’s continued support for the festival.

Mr. Rene van Dongen, Deputy Representative UNICEF gave messages of support for the festival and its educational goals, particularly working with children and enabling children voices to be heard.

Crowds of schoolchildren in t-shirts emblazoned with “Is Ghana Ready for Climate Change” thronged the launch ceremony to support their peers who had made a film through the festival's Young Film Makers Workshop. While presenting a fabulous selection of films on environmental and social issues, the festival has increasingly identified the role of young people making videos about their own environmental concerns, in public outreach. This year, the workshop chose to make a film about noise pollution, which they identified as one of the challenges in their communities, particularly its impact on their after school studies. Weeks prior to the festival, workshop participants, drawn from Accra schools and EEFA’s previous workshops discussed and developed their ideas into an original drama production called Stop the Noise!

Filming took place at the Budumburam Refugee Settlement, on the outskirts of Accra. The cast was joined by local musicians who claimed to be ‘noise specialists.’ The production was supported by UNICEF and the Environmental Protection Agency who also provided technical assistance, including noise measuring equipment and personnel. The EPA van also makes a brief cameo appearance in the film.

‘Stop the Noise’ received a great response at the launch, especially from the school children. We found that screening these films about issues so relevant to the daily lives of people in Accra, as seen through the eyes of young people, offered a refreshing approach to tackling environmental problems. Not only were the children involved in making the films touched by the festival, but their peers from their schools and other schools were motivated by the films. We have received several requests to use the films produced by the Young Film Makers Workshop as educational tools and to discuss the idea of involving more children and young people in spreading messages about the environment.

The films produced by the Young Film Makers Workshop also proved popular with audiences at the children’s screenings and the open air cinema at Budumburam Refugee Settlement. We hope to expand this component of the festival to reach even bigger audiences with these compelling films by Accra’s youth.

At the launch, the Festival Highlights and A Long Dry Season, the latest documentary on the impact of Climate Change in Ghana were also screened. All sponsors and supporters, participating schools and young film makers were presented with the festival plaque. Members of the Young Film Makers workshop also received hampers donated by Nestle Ghana, EPP Books and Indomie. Festival brochures and programme flyers were distributed.

Drama Sketches About Climate Change In Ghana
One of the exciting highlights of this year’s launch was the presentation of sketches from ‘Heatwave’ by Theatre Factory. Deploying methods and techniques of Ghanaian popular theatre, this stab at Environmental theatre drew enthusiastic responses from the audience. The actors enacted the perceived impact of climate change in Ghana in typical local situations; on the farm, in a Trotro bus, in Northern Ghana, and at an Accra office where the workers were literally in ‘stripping mode’ because of the intensifying heat. This production was supported by the Australian High Commission in Ghana.

Know Your Status! Know Your Status! 1st and 3rd August 2010

Integrated Development in Focus (DIF) was formed and inaugurated as a capacity building social development agency involved primarily in poverty reduction, preventive health education, reproductive health, rural/urban development, capacity building and the development of networks. It is registered with the Registrar General?s Department (N. G. 15,553) and recognized by the Department of Social Welfare No.D.S.W.2701.

On the 1st and 3rd of August 2010 DIF organized a HIV counseling and testing which was funded by Plan Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) at Agbogloshhie and the forecourt of Gbese Mantse Place.The performance on HIV! Get Tested which i facilitate went down well which more than 250 people voluntary came and tested to know their status. Curios Minds where presents and perform at Gbese. In all i would say all did extremely fantastic and the HIV messages went down well and all enjoy. I must also congratulate Niibi Ayibontey former member of parliament for odododioodoo for his immense contribution to the success of the programme.

Enjoy pictures of the performances and keep supporting me.

5 DAYS TRAINING ON THE LINK BETWEEN GENDER BASE VIOLENCE,HIV AND AIDS AT VALLEY VIEW UNIVERSITY

The Gender Studies and Human Rights Documentation Centre (GSHRDC), established in 1995, is a non- profit, non-government organization committed to working for the promotion and protection of the human rights of women. Specifically, the Center was founded with the mission of compiling information on women and human rights issues to support assertions about women's human rights issues and to help integrate women's concerns and perspectives into mainstream programmes, projects and policies addressing social and development issues.

I must say i was very happy to be selected,interviewed by Gender Centre for this rewarding five days training (5-10 Dec.2010) on THE LINK BETWEEN GENDER BASE VIOLENCE,HIV AND AIDS at VALEY VIEW UNIVERSITY,Dodowa-Accra.

Being in the midst of Assembly man and woman,headmistresses,The Police (DOVVSU),Executive Directors of NGO'S was a blessing which has come and have come on time when i need it most.

Hope and believe what i have emulated from the 5 days training would translate in my social work and thus save lives. Less i forget, certificates for participation fully was awarded to participants.

Voices of Youth Ghana project.

Youth Empowerment Synergy (YES-Ghana), under its ‘Voices of Youth’ project is creating a network through which young people from Local/district based youth groups and youth-led organisations in all ten regions of Ghana, national student associations, and youth-serving NGOs, including groups of young women, young persons with disability, youth outside of the educational system, and youth in rural areas from various organizations were selected across the country and coordinate their efforts at making national policy input. In the immediate term, the Coalition is serving as the main platform for mass mobilisation of youth voices into the development of a Youth Manifesto that will form the basis for youth advocacy for mainstreaming youth into the political agenda of contesting parties in the 2012 elections. In the long term, the Coalition will serve the much needed function as the national mechanism for critical analysis of youth issues and rallying the voices of youth into decision-making processes at national and local levels.