It is primarily very significant to honour the best and encourage the weak for a nation that does not honour her heroes is not worth dying for. With this, peace and harmony will be very ideal for accelerated national development. In doing so, it will encourage others to pay their due to their various communities.
Over the years, issues of child labor, child trafficking, child molestation and other constitutional guaranteed rights of the child were over looked thereby giving no hope and future to child development particularly in Ghana. As a way of trying to curtail or curb the issues of child development problems, necessitated the need for the formation of child rights activisms across the globe most particularly developing countries like Ghana.
One of these activism groups is the Child Rights International Ghana ( CRI – GH) which has its principal objective of pursuing child advocacy works, child leadership programmes, community services, skills training for both the brilliant and needy children and Child Rights Education.
Since its insertion almost 15 years ago, CRI Ghana has successfully developed various child leadership training programmes, directing and managing children's fora, child's rights education on the Children's Act 560 of the Rep. of Ghana and the UN Convention on the Rights of the child. In addition CRI has organized several inter-regional debate competitions on child rights and furthermore embarking on community services such as clean up exercises and even adopting some less privileged villages as a way of supporting them through series of development projects which they did through fund raising activities.
The adoption of these villages particularly by each club found both in the JSH and SHS is a statute policy of the CRI Ghana. Over the years, CRI Ghana has been noted for its annual Easter School which has become a platform for child rights activists across the country to converge to review and discus issues of child rights.
Since the insertion of clubs in schools and the introduction of the annual Easter School many individuals and other bodies such as teachers, JHS and SHS institutions and students have excelled tremendously doing the field works to bring hope to the Ghanaian Child.
As a way to urge persons involved in child rights activism to serve the purpose based on which CRI was established, came the institution of the annual child rights activism awards to honour those who stand out in child rights activism.
This year’s awards ie. 2010 GHANA MOST DISTINGUISHED CHILD RIGHTS ACTIVISM AWARD has been won by MR. JAGGREY JOHN SOKA.
Mr. Jaggrey John Soka is a Teacher and Patron of the Child's Rights Club Chapter in the Ghana Senior High School (GSHS) – Tamale. He has dedicated his professional life to the course of promoting and advancing child rights activism in northern Ghana and other neighbouring regions. He is noted for successfully nurturing almost 1000 Student Child Rights Activists between 1997 to 2010; directing and managing leadership training programmes, children's fora, child's rights education on the Children's Act 560 of the Rep. of Ghana and the UN Convention on the Rights of the child, organizing inter-regional debate competitions, community services such as clean up exercises and in addition his he and his club members adopted the village of Jekarayili; near GSHS and making regular donation of items such as used clothing’s, educational materials, toiletries, toys, etc to children of the village with..
Under his leadership has club has had the privileged to successfully play host the 2006 Easter School for Children in Tamale. His tremendous efforts have virtually been claimed by all as the unofficial coordinator of CRI activities in the Northern Region making GSHS CRI club the most dynamic and active club in the Northern Region for the past thirteen years.
Tamale Senior High School is also named for the 2010 Child Rights Club of the Year Award.
Two other students who have also distinguished themselves in Child Rights activism namely Sharon Anang, President of the Child Rights Club in the St. Roses Girls Senior High School and Joel Kweku Abeseabe President of the Child Rights Club in Opoku Ware Boys Senior High School are to receive the 2010 DISTINGUISHED STUDENT CHILD RIGHTS ACTIVIST AWARDS.
The Awards ceremony is slated for tomorrow the 21st of April 2009 and is been held as part of the on going Annual Easter School for Children in Sunyani, the Capital of Brong Ahafo Region.
The Awards are to be presented by the Country Director of the Country Awards Council Ghana, His Awardship Kobla Asamani. Country Director Kobla has already congratulated award winners for their splendid performance over the years calling on them to keep up with the hard work and encourage others to same; citing that is the greatest form of service one can offer to the nation.
Signed
Randolph Osei Buabeng
Director, public affairs
The Country awards Council