YPWC: ‘STAND UP, TAKE ACTION AND MAKE NOISE’

With funding from the United Nations Millennium Campaign, Africa Office (Kenya), on 17th September 2010, YPWC held an event to mark the International Day Against Poverty as part of activities towards making the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) reality.

The event was developed to give religious youth groups in the Pakyi community the platform to urge government and the international community to fulfill the MDGs promises they made in 2000—through football! In Africa (and Ghana is no exception) football offers youth an excellent forum to unite, have fun and show support for causes.

The objectives were to:

• Create awareness about the MDGs;
• Remind government to implement MDGs-based development strategies;
• Maintain the focus on poor and vulnerable groups, particularly children, youth, physically disabled people, and women’s groups;
• Demand increased transparency, accountability, monitoring and evaluation on MDGs related government programmes.

The event was attended by a Chief Imam, Pastors, community elders, YPWC staff and volunteers, Hon. Abieku Ahin (who stood in for Hon. Grace Addo, MP for Amansie West), Assemblyman for Pakyi No. 2, Mr Seidu Abdulai (who was representing Hon. Charles Oti Prempeh, the District chief Executive for Amasie West District). Mr Robert Hagan, former Sekondi Hassakas player, was the technical director for the day.

The main event was a game of football at Pakyi no2 Presby School Park between teams comprised of different faiths from the Pakyi area in Ghana. The competition was designed to send a symbolic message of unity from Muslims and Christian youth to Ghanaians that peace, especially among tribal and religious groups, is essential to reduce poverty and achieve the MDGs.

The five teams were named after the MDGs (with the name of the faith following):

• Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger (Ghana Apostolic church)
• Achieve Universal Primary Education (the church of Pentecost)
• Promote Gender Equality and empower Women (Presbyterian church)
• Reduce Child Mortality (Muslim Youth Team)
• Improve Maternal Health (Global Believers church)

Before kick-off, Elder Bismark Asaere, who served as Chairman for the event, addressed guests. He observed that poverty poses real challenges to raising young people in Ghana and that it denies many children quality education, health care and employment. He added that it was important that citizens hold the government accountable to its pledge to eradicate extreme poverty by 2015 and explained that the youth have an important role to play in this. He urged churches to take advantage of the day’s games to learn more about the MDGs and to also help monitor progress towards achieving them. Finally, he cautioned the players to play fair!

“Actions and Passion to Kick Out Poverty and Win the Trophy”

YPWC donated jerseys that were branded with the goals to each team who selected their MDG in a ballot just before kick-off. The first match was officially “kicked off” by Hon. Abeiko Ahin.
Four(4) churches and a team from the Muslim community played together for the trophy. Each team vowed to kick out poverty in their friendly match with their opponents.

The final winner was Ghana Apostolic Church (Eradicate extreme poverty and Hunger), beating the church of Pentecost 2-1 in the finals.

The teams and the dignitaries enjoyed refreshments after the short presentation and closing ceremony.

At the end of the day, ‘Games against Poverty’ gave participants, guests and dignitaries a chance to truly understand what the MDGs stand for and to ‘STAND UP, TAKE ACTION AND MAKE NOISE’ themselves. A total number of 3002 people raised a loud voice and made noise against poverty, many signing onto the campaign.

Read more about our activities at YPWC's main web site.