The project I have started and working on in my local vicinity is one that will help the youths in my area (Assin) unleashed their hidden potentials to develop.  I have over the past few months upon series of careful study come to realize that young people in my area need  little encouragement and the sky will be their limit.

In so doing, I organized students from some of the Universities last March to tour our Senior High Schools in a bid to lift their educational morale. I realized that the faint idea of guidance and counseling does not even exist in our SHS. Our tour then had to be rescheduled to accommodate a talk on leadership skills and self empowerment, which we did on the second day.  Another revelation was that most of the problem these students faced at the SHS level was much attributed to the basic level. Sequel to this an on-going free basic teaching by undergraduates and graduates  from the community has been put in place to help correct some of these issues. the program is suppose to run for 40 working days and it has started.

Again to bring on board youths from the area who are not in school but doing other things,  I am on the verge of securing an airtime on our local FM station to discuss problems facing other youths who are in the informal sector (seamstress, electronic repairs, young farmers, tailors, etc. This radio talk show is dubbed ‘YOUTH HOUR’. It shall discuss non-political development issues of the youth and how we can find possible solutions to some of them.

A free mosquito net donation to deprived communities in my area is being run alongside all my programs. this was also as a result of rampant malaria outbreak in my area especially the remote villages.

In all, there are more I realize with the backing of my own people and other benevolent individuals out  there we can do to help the youths in my local area. Africa need institutions like AU to power our initiatives.

“I think we surely get to our destination as AFRICANS…………

The project that I am working on is a process of creating space for girl children to find their own voices. The project seeks to:
• Establish Coaching clubs
• Facilitate Mentoring sessions
• Elect Girl child ambassadors in schools and communities
• Survey in rural and urban schools and churches
• Training ZGCLCI facilitators
• Radio and television talk shows

The concept was inspired by my five years journey through the IIGL, personal journey as an African woman and influence by Steven Covey’s (2004) that it is important for people to find their voices and inspire others to find their own voices. He defines voice as, natural gifts, talent, passion, strength and unique personal significant full of hope intelligence and resilient by nature.
Growing up a girl child in an African finding my voice was almost an uphill struggle, swatted by the array of cultural and religious traditions that place girls as minors vis-a – vis boy children there was no space to dream. A woman who has not given birth to a boy child has not grown the clan. A friend of mine told me over the telephone that there is now ‘decency’ in the family because she had given birth to a boy child. I realised from this discussion that despite the laws that are put in place to support the empowerment and protection of women; the journey and the struggle for the liberation of women is lifelong.

Over the years, post the decade of women, Beijing platform significant efforts have been made not only to enact favourable legislations but also to create awareness among citizens about these laws. The enactment of favourable legislations does not necessarily translate into mechanisms of their enforcement. Without any significant systems to monitor the delivery and impact of the legislations, these well-intentioned laws may lead to perverse outcomes of further erosion of women’s rights. Notwithstanding the deep psychological blocks that cloud women that need to be persistently questioned.
The girl child coaching initiative is committed to unveil the spirit of intellectual and leadership possibilities in girl children and assist girl children maximize their full potential. We seek to work with; parents as mentors, renowned women leaders as coaches, young women as facilitators and selected teenage girls as child ambassadors.
The support that I would appreciate from other Africa Unbound community is in threefold; first, the moral support this could be facilitated through sharing information about initiatives in their own countries that I could tape on. The second level of support would be resource mobilization. I would appreciate exchange of information on potential funding for the initial stages of the process and in the long term market for the products from The Initiative’s study circle projects. The third level of support that I expect from the group is publicity. Media plays a critical role development. I would foresee articles about the initiative published in the popular magazines, and news papers.

Earlier and since my childhood, I was interested in human service. I began this service through the life of my parents who encountered terrible health hardships. I was 11 years old, my father died in january1984. With this spirit of service I continue to help my mother who became disable since 2006.

In the meantime through meditation and reflection, I became aware of a hero journey I have to go during my existence on earth to make a positive difference with my life and around me. I was engaged in a variety of human service from my wide family to communities.

Each day the Universe grants me a wonderful gift, a blessing. I see myself more and more in a role of helper, guide and advisor among my fellows and young people in the communities.

 My purpose is to work and develop this role in my country, in Africa and beyond the continent. I would like to make a positive difference in life, engaged for noble cause. This is my career area where I have faith and passion with the spirit of service.

As everything is on purpose, my presence at Africa Unbound is not casual. I am a willing student who is ready and my teacher Africa Unbound appeared. It is a fulfillment of my career dreams to see myself as helper, support and servant among outstanding persons, visionary leaders who bring about positive changes for betterment of the world in general, Africa in particular.

 Africa Unbound is a forum of sharing and exchange of experience about the new- best and authentic practices to solve and overcome challenges of development in Africa. These practices are based on self transformation and individual responsibility to establish peace, prosperity and freedom in Africa.

For a long time, individual responsibility was neglected in the approach of development issues in Africa. I believe personally that nothing positive will not appear if we as individual people are not aware of what we stand for, our purpose personally as well as collectively.

What is poverty? I know and have lived it in all its facets and dimensions. While I review the mission and vision of Africa Unbound, I think I am myself the concrete and living symbol of this Pan African Movement. Based on the stormy existence I have experienced, the tiny but significant positive changes I witness in my personal life right now, I came to the conclusion that all is possible. And the major and most crucial step is that man knows what he stands for, his purpose and moves beyond that wishful state and desires to take authentic actions that lead to progress and improvement of his living conditions.  The African not only should be aware of his potentials but also believe that he has the power to improve his conditions of life.  This is for me the secret and vision behind Africa Unbound Movement. I believe in this spirit.

 Humbly in the spirit of service, I claim my commitment for Africa Unbound Movement

Thanks,

Kosi Sepénou DAVUI

I have always advocated that the educational system in Ghana should have a curriculum that taught inspirational leadership.

Most young people in Ghana have a very low self esteem. Surprisingly, you expect that this should change once they are exposed to some level of higher education, but quite the contrary the situation exists at this level and in its worse form.

I would like to be able to  see more young people, inspired and confident so they can actively contribute towards the development of the country.

In my own small initiative, I have tried to change the psyche of young people either on social media or  on the various speaking engagements that I am invited to.

The Africa Unbound community can help me reach out to many more and support this initiative of self empowerment  by providing personal development and leadership tools and support system to be able to organize seminars and programs that would help improve the self esteem and boost the confidence of the many timid young Ghanaians especially those in deprived communities.

I would like to make a huge positive difference in the lives of disadvantaged young Nigerians. As a nation, we face a problem of serious consequence that we cannot continue to ignore. Millions of young Nigerians are without the skills and competencies they need to succeed as they become adults.

The number of Nigerian youth who demand higher education per annum is more than 1.2 million. And less than 20% can only gain admission due to the low-carrying capacity of the nation’s 76 universities (2009).

The disturbing questions always on my mind are: what would happen to the over 1 million young Nigerians who fail to gain admission yearly? Where would they go? What chance of growth and development do they have? Are they the children of the haves or have-nots? Would they not, in an attempt to solve their problems in their own way, face involvement in crime, prostitution, drug dealing, illegal immigration, brain drain and armed robbery? Could this be the best solution for us – government, community, family and the youths themselves?

Since 2005 I have worked with some of these young people and I have discovered that majority of them are highly disadvantaged. They lack the ‘fortunate family background’ and necessary tools – education, resources, motivation, opportunities and connection to achieve their dreams.

My purpose, I believe, is to make sure that the disconnected and disadvantaged young Nigerians have the opportunity to discover their potentials and achieve their dreams. Only our comprehensive investments, made now, will secure their future, their communities and the nation at large.

Africa Unbound community can support me by empowering me with adequate trainings, network and other basic resources.