UN DAY

On Thursday 24 October was World Development Information Day and also United Nations Day. The General Assembly in 1972 instituted World Development Information Day to draw the attention of world public opinion to development problems and the need to strengthen international cooperation to solve them. On this day, Patriots Ghana Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Chapter (www.patriotsghana-knust.webs.com)  in collaboration with their partner organization Esyllabus for Africa( www.esyllabusforafrica.org) celebrated the day by visiting three schools in the Sekyere Kumawu District. The schools were Effiduase Demonstration JHS, Oyoko DA Primary and Oyoko Methodist Primary and JHS. The Director of Esyllabus for Africa, Mr. Henry Howard together with the President of Patriots Ghana KNUST Emmanuel Yamoah and members from the KNUST chapter gave a talk on the importance of reading, effective skills in reading, the importance of education, and sources of good reading materials. Mr. Henry Howard also led the team to install a free offline library kit and Wikipedia for all the schools.  The kit comes with English and French learning tools, videos on different subjects of study and many sources of learning materials that are a good substitute for library books. The team also used the opportunity to talk to the students about the United Nations, their activities, the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and how they can contribute towards it being achieved for instance by staying in school and helping everyone else to also get an education. The students were encouraged to develop the habit of making good use of the internet, the library kit, computers and all relevant sources of information. Furthermore, the team interacted with the teachers of all the schools and showed them how they could make good use of the library kit. The team also donated an esyllabus customized flash drive to the schools with library kit to serve as a backup and also to be used for future installations on the schools computers and that of the staff.

Information and communications technologies have the potential to provide new solutions to development challenges, particularly in the context of globalization, and can foster economic growth, competitiveness, access to information and knowledge, poverty eradication and social inclusion (United Nations).

Patriots Ghana would like to say a big thank you to Esyllabus for Africa for responding to our request to install the offline library kit for free for the three schools. We would also like to invite all to join us contribute towards developing our nation with passion.

www.patriotsghana-knust.webs.com

www.patriotsghana.org

 REPORT ON CLEAN UP EXERCISE BY PATRIOT GHANA KNUST

On Saturday the 16^th of November 2013, a cleanup exercise was organized by Patriots Ghana Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Chapter in collaboration with the Student Representative Council (SRC) Non Residential Executives and Zoomlion Ghana LTD at Ayeduase. The exercise took place at the Ayeduase Gate/ Entrance to the University and Other areas of Ayeduase that needed cleaning. . The SRC MP for Ayeduase Mr. Prince Ofori and the the President of PATRIOTS Ghana KNUST gathered all the materials needed for the exercise whiles a vehicle with a public address system was designated to inform all about the exercise.  The event began as early as 5:30 am with the sweeping of the streets since its gets quite busy during the day and also so the students could start with painting of the zebra crossing, kind courtesy RENARSA. The exercise included the cleaning of the gutters, weeding around, sweeping, gathering and disposing off refuse at inappropriate places etc. The volunteers were offered gloves, boots and nose mask for protection and also brooms, rakes, shovels, wheel barrows, cutlasses etc.  to ensure that the exercise was done effectively without any health problems. The Ghana Police personnel and the Campus Security personnel also assisted the students by directing the vehicles to avoid any traffic accidents whiles the students cleaned the streets. The Assembly man of Ayeduase also during the exercise drove around with the metropolitan bus to announce to the residents about the cleanup exercise and also talk about keeping the environment and also warned them not to dispose of their refuse in the bushes and the nearby pond. In all about 50 volunteers joined together in the exercise and happily cleaned amidst music.

After the exercise all the students and volunteers gathered at the cafeteria for the Kenkey Party and also to socialize and share experiences in volunteering. On behalf Patriots Ghana and the SRC, we appreciate the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Zoomlion Ghana LTD, and all the amazing volunteers that came together to make the exercise a success.

Patriots Ghana would also like to invite all to get involved its activities in Developing the Nation with Passion. Volunteer, Intern or Become a Member of PATRIOTS GHANA.

www.patriotsghana-knust.webs.com

www.patriotsghana.org

www.facebook.com/patriotsghana

A VISIT TO KJ CHARITY     HOME

On Thursday 26^th September 2013, the members of Patriots Ghana KNUST visited the King Jesus Charity Home at Boadi, Kumasi to give a talk on Cholera, sanitation and hygiene. The Home serves as a residence for orphans, street children and many other homeless children. Currently, the home provides support for children from the elementary level to the university level. The team of volunteers led by the president Emmanuel Yamoah, talked to the children and staff members about the causes of cholera, the symptoms, prevention and treatment of the disease. The children were mostly concerned about the issue of washing their hands with soap and water before eating since most of them did not do that. The members of Patriots Ghana KNUST present used the opportunity to explain to them the importance of washing of the hands, eating warm food, washing fruits before eating, and general hygiene. The children were also given the chance to make contributions and also ask questions, which turned out well, since they were worried about how to prevent the disease and the volunteers took their time to explain to them. After the talk, the volunteers made a presentation to the home to help in the prevention of cholera. The items included hand sanitizer, antiseptic soaps and liquids, insect repellant, washing and toilet soaps, napkins and packets of tissue. The administrator and staff of the orphanage were very happy and appreciated the visit since they admitted that most of the children did not observe good hygiene practices. The president of Patriots Ghana KNUST was delighted and assured the administrator that the chapter would do well to support the home in any way possible such as teaching, and volunteering their services at the home. Also the chapter would come into partnership with the home to embark on projects to help maintain the home and also create a website for the home. Lastly, in the evening the volunteers demonstrated to the children how to wash their hands properly with soap and running water before they departed to eat their dinner. The volunteers interacted with the children to encourage, motivate and get to know them more. We use this opportunity to encourage everyone to support the home and the great work their doing for the adorable children there. Also we invite all students especially from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology to join the Patriots Ghana team to help make a difference in the communities around us. Developing the Nation with Passion!

 REPORT ON WORKSHOP 2013

On Saturday, 26^th October 2013, Patriots Ghana Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) chapter in collaboration with one of its partner organization the African Center for Peace Building hosted a workshop on the topic “EYE OPENING TO ONLINE JOURNALISM”.

 The speakers for the program were Mr. Korsi Senyo (the Executive Director for the African Center for Peace Building and SEMPEG Consult and he is also the chief editor for Awakeafrica.org and Ghanaschoolnews.) and Mr. Matthew Brown (the Former Secretary of United Nations Association - University of Sheffield (UNA-UOS) and Head Delegate for Oxford International Model United Nations (OxIMUN) 2012 for the University of Sheffield delegation In Nov 2012).

Mr. Matthew Brown talked about the United Nations model and United Nations Association. He introduced participants to its mission, how to apply, and the benefits of being a delegate. He also talked about how as students and future leaders we have an important role to play in contributing so education can be accessed without any cultural, financial, and religious or any other hindrance. He encouraged the participants to engage themselves more on volunteering projects on vital social issues such as education, sanitation, and health. Etc. He also touched on issues such as fundamental human rights, justice, freedom of speech and freedom of the press in journalism and how working on projects relating to such issues is good for ones resume when applying for a job. He also talked about student’s involvement in events and conferences such as that of the United Nations Associations as it provides a good platform for personal development and helps students to be confident, eloquent and develop their advocacy skills. He also gave the students the students the opportunity to ask questions and questions were asked on issues such as that of the United Nations Association, and Mr. Matthew Brown answered all appropriately. The session came to an end with an appreciation from the president of the chapter Emmanuel Yamoah and the next speaker was introduced, thus Mr. Korsi Senyo.

Mr. Senyo spoke on online journalism, and he touched on how to write good and professional reports both for commercial and domestic purposes. He also took participants through the key things to look out for in good report, flaws to avoid and standards for professional reports. Also, they were introduced to web based technology and social media tools used in journalism. This made students aware of the latest and trending technological tools in journalism, how they are used, their purpose, and how effective they are. He used the interface and dashboard of his magazine (www.awakeafrica.org) to train the participants and showed them the formats and differences between posted items such news, articles, features, events, documentaries, etc. He used news items such as those by Emmanuel Yamoah the president of the chapter and a reporter for the magazine to explain. He also introduced participants to blogging thus how to create a blog, the different blogging platforms, how to effectively make good use of a blog, examples of good blogs and sharing of blogs.

 At the end a sample blog was created by a participant (Davis Otu Biney) to demonstrate to everyone the procedures. He also touched briefly on his experiences in journalism and volunteering both on campus and after school. After, when all were given the opportunity to ask questions, some questions came from Prince Adutwum (Events Coordinator) and Castro Gyamfi (Webmaster) on security and maintenance respectively.

The workshop ended with a time of refreshment and interaction among participants and also with the speakers. Mr. Senyo assured all that he will be available for free further training and support by giving out his contact information and inviting all to apply to intern with African Center for Peace Building and Awakeafrica.org. Patriots Ghana would like to appreciate the African Center for Peace Building, Awakeafrica.org, the University Hall, Mr. Matthew Brown and everyone that contributed towards the success of the program.

Patriots Ghana- Developing the Nation with Passion.

www.patriotsghana.org

www.patriotsghana-knust.webs.com