Ghana and Chelsea midfield general Michael Essien arrived in his west African country on Monday morning for two days of charity work in his hometown of Awutu Breku.
The 27-year-old is hosting a community sports day and launching a brand new scheme to help get young people reading in Ghana over the next two days.
Over 5,000 youngsters will grace the occasion on Wednesday for the 'A Day with Michael Essien' organized by the Michael Essien Foundation, Chelsea Football Club and Right to Play.
The midfield prodigy will host an array of initiatives including a sports day for children from local districts competing in football, volleyball and netball. He will also launch the Reading Goals literacy initiative - a reading project in association with Chelsea, Right to Play, Pearson Education and the Ghanaian Ministry of Education.
“I am really happy to be back home and looking forward to the events that are happening over the next two days,” said Essien to journalists upon arrival at the country's capital Accra, which is an hour away from Awutu Breku.
“I am excited about meeting all the children and also getting the Reading Goals initiative started.”
Reading Goals is a series of books based on the footballer's life and career aimed at encouraging young people to read and is provided free of charge to schools in the region. Essien will also be commissioning a water bore hole and a new public toilet to bring fresh water and better hygiene to the town.
