The much-hyped musical festival dubbed ‘HoodTalk Festival’ organized by DreamChild Foundation in partnership with Virtual Hub last year visited five regions.
The Festival which is a groundbreaking initiative focused on promoting child wellness and youth empowerment in Africa visited the Northern Region, Ashanti Region, Volta Region, Greater Accra, and Eastern Region.
The HoodTalk Festival has the goal of raising a provisional sum of $14 million for the construction of five paediatric clinics in selected regions in the country.
It aims to unite voices for the betterment of the African child and empower and support the African child by harnessing the power of music and arts through community engagement.
Several top musical personalities, music fans, and others graced the festival.
As an initiative of the DreamChild Foundation, the idea is to use music as a vehicle from one community to the other and to empower the youth by giving them opportunities to practice their craft.
The ‘HoodTalk’ project has received endorsement from the Office of the President, and the NGO is engaged in raising funds to build five paediatric clinics across Ghana at the cost of $14m.
In a speech in Ho, at the Volta Region edition of Hoodtalk Festival, Roger McScott president of the University Students Association of Ghana (USAG) spoke on youth empowerment, adding that there is a need for more literacy programmes across the country.
Furthermore, the country needs to create an environment in which young people are free to thrive when given the chance.
These opportunities he said cover everything from higher education, and scholarships for disadvantaged students to leadership training for young employees.
Roger McScott underlined that educating the youth is particularly crucial so that they can contribute to their communities and boost the country’s economy through their work and knowledge.
“This gathering is not just about music and celebration but it is an embodiment of the unity and strength of the Ghanaian youth”.
He indicated that in the pursuit of economic growth, it is necessary to recognize the vital role that networking plays.
The Paramount Chief of the Asogli Traditional Area, Togbe Afede XIV, has donated a parcel of land to DreamChild Foundation for the building of a paediatric clinic to serve communities in the Volta Region.
The chief of Savelegu, Yoo-NaaYakubu, addressing the HoodTalk music Festival delegation led by the foundation’s co-founder Kofi Amoakohene, Director Paa Kwesi Holbrook-Smith, among others, expressed his unflinching support of DreamChild Foundation’s fundraising efforts to build a paediatric centre for the children of Dagbon.
He also pledged 2-3 acres of land for the building of the facility.
He further indicated that the people should invest in the project by contributing whatever they could towards the project, in addition to whatever else could be raised.
The first concert of the HoodTalk Festival was held on September 2 last year at the Kingdom Gardens, Ashiyie-Regimanuel Katamanso Estate in Accra.
The land, on which the concert was held, was also donated to the foundation for a paediatric clinic to serve Ashiyie and its environs -Adenta, Oyibi, Amanfrom, and Katamanso.
The DreamChild Foundation has plans to ramp up its fundraising efforts this year by getting more corporate responsibility and involving International donor agencies such as UNICEF which to date has encouraged the Foundation’s efforts.