As part of the 2021 celebration of International Youth Day, Right To Play and its partner, The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), organized a clean-up exercise and fun games for the youth and residents of Agbogbloshie in the Ablekuma Central municipality of the Greater Accra region.
The event also saw sports for development training sessions and activities being held.
The occasion was used to educate the residents on keeping their environment clean and tidy through the use of play and sports.
Held on Wednesday, August 18, 2021, the event presented an opportunity for awareness creation on sports for development and engagement of residents in a skills-based capacity building session geared towards ensuring behavioural change in the community.
As part of the activities, two football teams in the community, namely Didas Sporting Academy and Sporting Basel Football Club who cleaned the Agbogbloshie scrapyard area through to the technical training centre and the Aayalolo school park after which the fun games were held to crown the celebration.
Public education was also carried out to inform residents on the need to keep their environment clean to avoid diseases like cholera and malaria.
Illona Wayo, the project officer for Right To Play told Citi News that, the organization is undertaking education on issues around social inclusion, gender equality and youth empowerment in the Agbogbloshie community.
She urged the youth of the area to continue to keep their environment clean for good health and the general wellbeing of the residents in the Agbogbloshie community, even as they play and engage in sporting activities.
She added that the clean-up exercise will be held regularly in the community, championed by the two football teams who will mobilize residents for such exercises.
The theme for the celebration was; “Improved environmental management and health practices through sports for development in the Agbogbloshie community.”
Right To Play was established in 2000 by Johann Olav Koss who is now on the Board of the organization he founded now led by Susan McIsaac as the Chief Executive Officer. Right To Play works with schools and community-based organizations, train teachers and coaches in its unique play-based learning methodology.
The organization has been operating in Ghana since 2001.
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