AIDS advocate Shisu Alhaji Yakubu of Ghana has biked 238 000 kilometers to raise awareness about HIV. After travelling to New York to participate in the UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on AIDS that took place from 8-10 June, Mr Yakubu says he will now embark on a bike ride from Vienna to Washington, DC to attend the next International AIDS Conference to be held in the United States in 2012. Mr Yakubu attended the UN High Level Meeting specifically to meet UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé. “I came here all the way from Africa to say thank you,” he explained. In addition to meeting Mr Sidibé, he cycled to New York City to demand world leaders participating in the High Level Meeting to join forces with the voices calling for a stronger AIDS response. “‘In unity lies strength,’ so the old adage goes,” said Mr Yakubu. “I would therefore earnestly appeal to our leaders and people living in West Africa to unite against the stigma attached to the disease,” he said. Mr Yakubu developed an interest for voluntary work when he was still in school, after having seen the difficulties faced by children orphaned by AIDS. When Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana selected him to represent his region of Brong-Ahafo in mid-western Ghana at the First National Youth Conference in Akropong, Mr Yakubu decided to harness his "voluntary spirit" in this direction. During the youth conference, he says, he realized the alarming rate at which HIV was spreading in Ghana and other sub-Saharan countries. "Something must be done," he decided. "It was about time non-governmental organizations, community-based organizations, religious organizations and civil society all came together and joined the response. HIV is not a health issue any more. It's an issue about you and me."

Source: UNAIDS

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Donate books, T-shirt and educational marterials to support education in rural communities, located in Africa.
Support passionate for change, an NGO that want the best for all African children.     
The objective is to inculcate the habbit of reading in young Africans. Education has been identified as a way to eradicate extreme poverty, we therefore need your support in this regaard. Books can be christian books, story books and magazines worth reading. 
TO DANATE, call : +233246396786 or send an email to
                               passionateforchange@gmail.com 
                              jopoku2010@gmail.com

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African Leadership Academy, a world class Pan-African boarding school, that seeks to develop the next generation of African leaders; brought together all potential leaders who qualified upon going through the first round application to gather and exhibit leadership in their own way.

This years finalist weekend was marked on the 9th and 10th of April 2011 at SOS gmeiner school located in Tema (community6).
 
The event started with a brief background of African leadership Academy for which the finalist were allowed to ask questions.

An activity continued upon the completion of the background which i found very interesting. This activity was one, which finalist were asked to use objects to describe themselves and their  personality.   I should say for a fact that,  i was and still happy to have been part of this important program. 

The program  was also geared towards testing the team work spirit in the finalist. One part my colleagues expressed joy  was the case study which was based the theme "Miko Rwayatare and Africa's First Mobile Network" and the interview session all of which was used to asses their personality.

One other activity that created a lot of controversies was "who survives the flood". In this activity, we were divided into groups where we were asked to save 11 out of 18 members of a community from dying due to a flood. A boat is ready, but unfortunately it only save  11 out of the 18; in this situation, WHO SURVIVES THE FLOOD?. Not forgetting the human knot which most finalist found so much untangling.
  
We were also asked to fill a Long Term Impact Assessment Survey and this ended DAY 1.

Day 2, was the day for examination upon which there was a parental information session.

The final activity that ended the finalist weekend was the Roses and Thornes activity which gave room for finalist to share what they and enjoyed and what they disliked about the whole program.

It was a great program in all and i made lots of friends around Ghana. Indeed young people are the future and when given a wider platform will prove to be agents of change for Africa's development.


  Joseph Opoku
  curious minds, Accra

They call us the young
Who should have a long wait
For they said our time will come
Just as they have theirs

But we peeped into the time
And saw that it will come – certainly
But how will it come?
In a state of haste
Or like cutting the past
To paste on the present

Where the tears trickle down
The cheeks of our fellow children
Where their comfort is left
To the care of aggressive mosquitoes
Who sing dirges and think they are lullabies

Where to enjoy a right
Is to fight a deplorable fight
When they did not have the might
So they said we should wait
For our time will come

Yes our time will come
And it is coming with flurry
And no one can parry the hurry
Some think it is scary
And even unknowingly blurry

But look yonder
What they think will come asunder
We now put together
And we see the hope
That comes along the scope
When our rights
We pursue with our little might
To make the picture look bright
To drive away the fright

They call us the young
We shall grow
But our toddler steps we now take
Your care will show how we fare
For this is no time to stare
But to make it all count.
In our full glare

Yes, our time will come and it will come all right

Oneminute junior crew Ghana

       Today marks World Water Day. This years celebration is under the theme: "Water for cities: responding to the urban challenge."  "urbanization and Water"- Ghana
The main objective of this year's celebration  is to focus international attention on the impact of rapid urban population growth, industrialization and uncertainties caused by climate change, conflicts and natural disasters on urban water systems. It also aims  to spotlight and encourage governments, organizations, communities, and individuals to actively engage in addressing the challenges of urban water management. This years celebration has been marked in several countries in line with the theme.
Population growth has had a great impact on the accessibility of water. Statistics show that, this is the first time in human history that most of the world's population live in cities: 3.3 billion people. And the urban landscape continues to grow.
            38% of the growth is represented by expanding slums, while the city populations are increasing faster than city infrastructure can adapt. . Africa has the greatest cry in this regard as climate change has had great effects on its natives. One could also attribute the water problem to political conflicts, civil war and ethnic conflict.
"urbanization and water" This has been the main focus of Ghana in the 2011 celebration of this day. This day is very important in the Ghanaian society because of the current cholera outbreak which has to do with improper sanitation and water
                The United Nations (UN) is concerned about the situation in urban areas of the developing world in particular. This is because as urban populations grow, water use will need to shift from agriculture to municipal and industrial uses, and therefore render difficult decision-making about allocation to the different users. So urban dwellers will experience severe water stress, and this poses a challenge to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target of reducing by half the number of people without access to water and sanitation by 2015.

According to the compiled data, based on findings of research undertaken by focal persons of the Sustainable Water management, Improved Cities, Tomorrow's City Health (SWITCH) programme, being implemented in 33 countries including Ghana, currently about:

• 141 million urban dwellers worldwide do not have access to improved drinking-water, and
• One out of four city residents, 794 million in total, lives without access to improved sanitation facilities.

The water situation in urban Ghana is nothing to boast of not to even talk from the rural point of view. I happen to visit a village in the Volta Region of the Republic of Ghana where their only source of drinking water was a flowing river. The people used this water  in all their domestic activities, knowing very well the dangers involved. "we have no alternative" that was view many shared.
   Focusing on an Urban city like Accra where i live; there is often the problem of the tap not being able to flow. This situation compel people to walk miles in search for potable water, which even stop some students from going to school. Others who also get fed up consider using well water for their domestic work. It is not reliable, and accessible!!!! We want to feel the impact of this wonderful day in our policies and programs. Enough of the "TEA WORKSHOPS" lets set the pace as the first country to gain independence in sub Saharan Africa. Lets also tell all that we are the gateway and the beacon of hope for AFRICA..


Joseph Opoku
jopoku2010@gmail.com