Miss Mavis Ofori, a 19- year-old form three student of the Presbyterian Senior High School (SHS) Berekum, Bono Region has emerged the winner of ‘Stop Tratta’ essay competition organised by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Sunyani.
The Sunyani office of Volontariato International Per Lo Sviluppo (VIS) Ghana, an Italian international NGO promoting community-based socio-economic empowerment among other objectives, organised the competition for 10 Senior High Secondary Schools (SHSs) to raise awareness about the risk of irregular migration for migration-prone communities in the Bono and Bono East Regions.
It was part of an awareness campaign to reduce the risks of irregular migration launched in 2016 for students of the 10 SHSs under the ‘Stop Tratta School Network’.
‘Stop Tratta’ according to the organisers means stop human trafficking in the Italian language.
Miss Ofori received a scholarship package of GhC1,100.00 to cover part of her initial school fees upon moving to the tertiary level after SHS, a Casio calculator, Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, a school bag and a certificate.
The first runner-up, Master George Henneh of the Jinijini SHS, Berekum West District had GhC700.00 and same items while the third student, Master Dominic Boah of the Methodist Technical/SHS, Sunyani also got GhC350.00 plus the other items like the first and second students.
The event presented an opportunity to project some of the achievements of the campaign and to enhance the coordination between various stakeholders engaged in similar activities, such as local NGO, media and Ghana Education Service (GES).
Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Madam Silvia Tizzi, the Project Manager of VIS Ghana, said the topic for the 1000-word essay competition “I love my country and want to succeed here” not only focused on risk of irregular migration in terms of human rights violation but also promoted opportunities of study and employment in Ghana.
“The campaign is part of a project supporting local development tackling irregular migration with funding by the Italian Catholic Bishops’ Conference and being implemented by VIS Ghana in collaboration with Salesians of Don Bosco AFW, the Catholic Dioceses of Techiman and Sunyani”, she stated.
Mad. Tizzi added the positive impact of the campaign in the schools are the main source of information about the risks of irregular migration and human rights.
She announced the campaign would progress into the coming months with the involvement of the schools focusing on the training of teachers and a peer education approach through debate and song competitions, an itinerant photo exhibition and community events with artistic performances.
“The peer education proposed by VIS aims to involve trained youths in raising awareness in their communities through a specific team called ‘Stop Tratta Ambassadors’, Mad. Tizzi said.
Mr. Saint Kwaku Adjei, Counsellor, VIS Ghana, appealed to students to focus on their studies to guarantee a prosperous and sustainable future.
Participating schools were presented with certificates of participation.
