On August 23, 2022, AJANO Cooperative (twitter: AJANO_Coop) successfully distributed 400 food packages to children in Pedu, a group of towns in the Central Region of Ghana through the 20,000 Calories Project. AJANO Coop was founded by Anthony KS Mensah from Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut, Akosua D. Asante from Holy Child School in Cape Coast, and John KN Mensah, Nee Ashitey Boateng, and Oheneba Nkrabea from Ghana International School in Cantonments.
In August 2021, the students surveyed 150 Cape-Coast children between the ages of 8 and 15 to determine what type of help they value most. About 72% of respondents gave food support during the 3-week August school break as their highest priority.
During the school year, most primary school children in Ghana receive at least one hot meal per day through the school feeding program, but during school breaks, they do not have access to the program which can lead to hardship. With these results, AJANO Coop started fundraising to reach its target next August.
AJANO Coop is very grateful to all who have contributed to the cause despite the financial challenges in Ghana and the world over the past few years.
After raising more than Ghc23,000, the students consulted a nutritionist to ensure that the food packages could meet the nutritional needs of the children. AJANO then collected some donations in the form of staple food.
The students also decided to prioritize locally sourced food and reusable zip-loc packaging. After consultation, the package for the 20,000 Calorie Project was finalized as follows. 1kg Royal Aroma Rice, 2kg Gari, 1kg Nuts, Palm, Vegetable Oil, Tomatoes Delicious Tomatoes enriched with Zinc, Cowbell Milk Powder, and sugar. AJANO Coop would like to express its special thanks to Christina Asmah and all the women of the Abura Market who helped make it easy to buy goods, as well as all the volunteers who helped pack the goods.
To raise awareness for the event and get permission from the guardians, AJANO went from house to house in Pedu to teach children how to grow onions and tomatoes from food waste. The worksheets that are distributed are also tickets for the next day’s food distribution.
Some kids get creative and color in the worksheets.
While distributing items to 400 children, AJANO surveyed the children to find out what they want in the future. Doctors and Lawyers are very popular, but one student broke the mold and declared that she wanted to be a runway model!
All in all, this is a great job done by Akosua, John, Anthony, Nee, Oheneba and all the AJANO volunteers. From the twitter page: “This year, AJANO Coop has worked hard to achieve the goal of sustainable development 2, Zero Hunger by working on the 20,000 Calorie Project. We plan to expand and continue this program for as long as necessary to support the community we love”.
AJANO is also working on creating a permanent food bank and developing an application to connect farms and factories directly to those in need. It is an inspiration to other high school students to give back to the community in whatever way they can.
The AJANO Cooperative is also holding an essay competition for high school students this year, so be sure to submit your entry to the Think Deeper Essay Competition for a chance to win amazing prizes!
Source: Peacefmonline.com
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