By Adiza Bawa
The Yaa Asantewa Library Project, has handed over a stocked library to the La-Bawaleshie Presbyterian Basic 1 School in Accra.
The brief ceremony which took place in the library, was attended by the Greater Accra Regional Director of the Ghana Library Authority, Edward Addo-Yobbo, Madam Rita Amoabeng; the Officer in charge of Supervision at the Ayawaso West Education Directorate, Dr. Hazel; Author of “Winning in the Jungle”, and Mr. Abdul Razak Yakubu; Political Advisor at the British High Commission in Accra, amongst others.
In their respective addresses, the speakers encouraged the students to develop good reading habits. as it would help to improve their vocabulary, intelligence, creativity and imagination.
The Greater Accra Regional Director of the Ghana Library Authority (GhLA), who read the speech on behalf of the Authority’s CEO, Hayford Siaw expressed appreciation on behalf of the Authority, and said the initiative is laudable
The Yaa Asantewa Library project was set up as a citizen driven initiative to help Ghanaian children travel the world through books.
Founded by Juliet Yaa Asantewa Asante, the goal is to stock libraries around the country or where there are no libraries, build container Libraries and stock them with exciting books from Ghanaian, African and other writers from around the world, to help children see and travel the world through books.
This, according to Miss Yaa Asantewa Asante, is important because the culture of reading is going down.
‘’The Library Books would help to bring back the love for reading and this will help open up the minds of children beyond their environment and make them step up more boldly into their future. Children need leisure and reading during leisure helps open up their minds to many other things not taught in the classroom’’.
It is also important that kids have a very calm and aesthetically beautiful space to retreat to. Not everyone has this at home and a minute to step aside in the day and step into another world is critical to the development of the Ghanaian child’’.
‘’The project is something Ghanaians believe in and many people stepped forward in donating books and some money to set up and stock the Bawaleshie Library, working closely with the school. The opportunity for citizens to come together and work together like this to inspire and impact our children’s future is also something beautiful’’. Miss Yaa Asantewa Asante stated.
She said the Yaa Asantewa Library Project is grateful to everyone who contributed to the initiative and will continue to do so.
‘’ The Yaa Asantewa Library Project therefore calls on all Ghanaians to help children to discover and travel the world through books by drumming home how important it is for kids to read and keep reading, encourage them to dream of things, big things, things unknown, undiscovered and journeys of our forefathers, to help children travel the world through books, ’’ according to Miss Yaa Asantewa Asante.
