Pilolo-GH Brings Light to Takoradi’s Hidden Problems
TAKORADI — In Ghana’s Western region, a variation of ‘Hide-and-Seek’ is played, called Pilolo. The rules of the game are simple, young children hide sticks from one another and then must look for them. Once a stick is found, it is brought out for all to see.
Pilolo-GH, is a voluntary action group that has adopted this idea by focusing on some of the ‘hidden’ social and development-related issues in their communities and finding actionable solutions. On this year’s National Volunteer Day in Ghana, the group took to the streets to repaint faded zebra crossings in front of local schools.
Nana Ama Agyekum, a member of Pilolo-GH and chief organizer of the day’s event, tells why working with the schools was important,
“The youth are the future of this country and we have to secure their future. And this time, we are doing that with something as basic as road safety.”
— Nana Ama Agyekum
Here’s what some more Pilolo-GH members said about why they decided to volunteer in their community as part of #NVDay15
“It feels right. I love to do something that will make other people happy.”
— Marian Clara Adeaba (@myraclera)
“We volunteer for the development of Takoradi.”
— Kobby Major (@PsyPhaRilla)
“Young people want to see change. We are not waiting for change to come to us but we are moving to change. When we do this, it causes policy makers to take action in effecting the change we want. That’s why we volunteer.”
— Amos Katsekpor (@amblac)
The Pilolo-GH Team was just one of dozens of groups participating in this year’s National Volunteer Day activities all across Ghana.
And for volunteers like Katsekpor, who is also a founder of the Social Entrepreneurs Network Africa (SENA), volunteering doesn’t end when #NVDay15 stops trending. He said volunteering is an opportunity for learning and self-development and that he wishes to see more involvement from many different types of organizations,
“There are not enough volunteering opportunities for young people in this country. Typically, only polytechnic institutions provide these opportunities.”
SENA as well as the Ghana Volunteer Program that helps organize National Volunteer Day events are continuing to promote volunteerism throughout Ghana and the region. For those wanting to get involved, contact the team at Volunteering Ghana or visit the SENA website for more information on their upcoming activities and how to get involved.
Check out the great photos from Team Pilolo-GH and NVDay15 below , and for even more great pics, visit our Facebook page, https://facebook.com/africarizing
