Setting up a fund to help brilliant but needy children has become a norm in the society today as a result of the breakdown of extended family values.
There are a growing number of Ghanaian children who would probably have gone wayward without such social interventions.
However, the success story or otherwise of such initiatives has not been told well enough for the public to appreciate the effort and benevolence of those who make sacrifices for the needy and vulnerable to benefit.
To find out how the beneficiaries of such initiatives have fared in their pursuits of higher education, the Times stumbled upon Prince Djan Tano, who is in his final-year at the Ghana Medical School, University of Ghana.
Prince was born to peasant farmers at Nsesereso in the Dormaa District of the Brong Ahafo Region, 28 years ago.
He was one of the hardworking village boys who managed to secure admission to St. James Seminary and Secondary School at Sunyani in 2000 to pursue his secondary education.
Amidst various challenges he managed to scale through the Senior High School level.
His trouble started when he gained admission to the University of Ghana, Legon to pursue a four years course in Basic Medical Sciences, a pre-requisite course for admission to the Medical School.
Undaunted by the challenges he was likely to face in Accra, he packed bag and baggage after rallying money to pay for his academic user fee at the University.
Prince Perched with friends and solicited their assistance for handouts in terms of what to eat and for making photocopies of lecture notes.
He wrote to several organisations, pointing out his predicament and the need to get support to enable him become a medical doctor.
Alas, help came at last after several appeals to banks, mobile tele-communication companies and other multi-nationals whose corporate social responsibilities are well known.
Prince said, he saw a television documentary on Plan Ghana an international non-governmental organisation in which a worker was talking about how the organisation had been supporting children to meet their educational aspirations.
“Though I knew I was past the category of those they had been assisting, I felt emboldened to write to them for assistance,” he said.
To his amazement, Plan Ghana approved his application and invited him for an interview to know the extent of help he might be needing to finish his course.
“Since Plan Ghana came into my education life, it has supported me and I am in my final year as a medical student and will be graduating in March 2011,” he said.
Prince plans to specialise in either obstetrics, gynecology or cardiothoracic surgery. In furtherance of such an ambition, he has had a month’s attachment in both Germany and the United States to boost his choice of career.
He was in the University of Freiburg, Germany last November to learn about Cardiothoracic Surgery while another month was spent at the University of Michigan Medical School to learn about gynecology.
Prince said he has been inspired by the sacrifice of Plan Ghana’s support for needy students in Ghana which is meant to groom talented youths for the nation.
He has also been challenged to sacrifice to meet the medical needs of Ghana by staying in Ghana to contribute his quota to the development of medical care.
Ms. Adisa Lansa, Communications Director at Plan Ghana said the organisation has been operating in Ghana to create a child-friendly school environment to help children to succeed.
She told the Times that Plan Ghana’s work covers four core areas in quality education, better health, food security and creating awareness for child rights.
Ms. Lansa said it was upon the basis of quality education that, assistance was given to Prince to complete his medical education.
Though the organisation’s programme has always focused on encouraging community participation in children’s learning, Prince’s case has been an exceptional one because of his brilliance and chosen area of profession.
Ms. Lansa said Plan Ghana will continue to provide scholarships to needy children to enable them to fulfill their academic potential when money is a barrier.
But all these can not be achieved without encouraging childhood survival activities such as ensuring that all children aged under 5 are vaccinated against major life – threatening diseases and that their parents are shown how to reduce the risk of malaria to their infants.
Ms. Lansa said to ensure that parents are in the position to look after their children, Plan Ghana also initiated a programme to provide farmers in rural communities with high yielding seed varieties and facilitates for year round access to water to ensure good regular harvest.
“If we are able to uproot poverty or reduce poverty, the situation where parents neglect their children’s education will be a thing of the past,” she said.
There are a growing number of Ghanaian children who would probably have gone wayward without such social interventions.
However, the success story or otherwise of such initiatives has not been told well enough for the public to appreciate the effort and benevolence of those who make sacrifices for the needy and vulnerable to benefit.
To find out how the beneficiaries of such initiatives have fared in their pursuits of higher education, the Times stumbled upon Prince Djan Tano, who is in his final-year at the Ghana Medical School, University of Ghana.
Prince was born to peasant farmers at Nsesereso in the Dormaa District of the Brong Ahafo Region, 28 years ago.
He was one of the hardworking village boys who managed to secure admission to St. James Seminary and Secondary School at Sunyani in 2000 to pursue his secondary education.
Amidst various challenges he managed to scale through the Senior High School level.
His trouble started when he gained admission to the University of Ghana, Legon to pursue a four years course in Basic Medical Sciences, a pre-requisite course for admission to the Medical School.
Undaunted by the challenges he was likely to face in Accra, he packed bag and baggage after rallying money to pay for his academic user fee at the University.
Prince Perched with friends and solicited their assistance for handouts in terms of what to eat and for making photocopies of lecture notes.
He wrote to several organisations, pointing out his predicament and the need to get support to enable him become a medical doctor.
Alas, help came at last after several appeals to banks, mobile tele-communication companies and other multi-nationals whose corporate social responsibilities are well known.
Prince said, he saw a television documentary on Plan Ghana an international non-governmental organisation in which a worker was talking about how the organisation had been supporting children to meet their educational aspirations.
“Though I knew I was past the category of those they had been assisting, I felt emboldened to write to them for assistance,” he said.
To his amazement, Plan Ghana approved his application and invited him for an interview to know the extent of help he might be needing to finish his course.
“Since Plan Ghana came into my education life, it has supported me and I am in my final year as a medical student and will be graduating in March 2011,” he said.
Prince plans to specialise in either obstetrics, gynecology or cardiothoracic surgery. In furtherance of such an ambition, he has had a month’s attachment in both Germany and the United States to boost his choice of career.
He was in the University of Freiburg, Germany last November to learn about Cardiothoracic Surgery while another month was spent at the University of Michigan Medical School to learn about gynecology.
Prince said he has been inspired by the sacrifice of Plan Ghana’s support for needy students in Ghana which is meant to groom talented youths for the nation.
He has also been challenged to sacrifice to meet the medical needs of Ghana by staying in Ghana to contribute his quota to the development of medical care.
Ms. Adisa Lansa, Communications Director at Plan Ghana said the organisation has been operating in Ghana to create a child-friendly school environment to help children to succeed.
She told the Times that Plan Ghana’s work covers four core areas in quality education, better health, food security and creating awareness for child rights.
Ms. Lansa said it was upon the basis of quality education that, assistance was given to Prince to complete his medical education.
Though the organisation’s programme has always focused on encouraging community participation in children’s learning, Prince’s case has been an exceptional one because of his brilliance and chosen area of profession.
Ms. Lansa said Plan Ghana will continue to provide scholarships to needy children to enable them to fulfill their academic potential when money is a barrier.
But all these can not be achieved without encouraging childhood survival activities such as ensuring that all children aged under 5 are vaccinated against major life – threatening diseases and that their parents are shown how to reduce the risk of malaria to their infants.
Ms. Lansa said to ensure that parents are in the position to look after their children, Plan Ghana also initiated a programme to provide farmers in rural communities with high yielding seed varieties and facilitates for year round access to water to ensure good regular harvest.
“If we are able to uproot poverty or reduce poverty, the situation where parents neglect their children’s education will be a thing of the past,” she said.
