Visually Impaired Role Models Inspire Students In Akropong

Two (2) visually impaired role models and alumni of Akropong School for the Blind, Akropong Akuapem returned back to the school on Saturday 9th July, 2011 to share their experiences and interact with some 300 visually impaired students to inspire and motivate them to rise above their challenges to attain their personal goals and dreams.

The event themed, ‘How They Made It’ was a follow up to a mentoring training programme dubbed Train-Coach-Mentor organised last year through a partnership between two NGOs, Greight Foundation and Interfaith Ghana at Akropong School for the blind.

The aim of this year’s event was for the visually impaired role models, Mr. Paul Anomakodea, a broadcast journalist with Etv and a lawyer, Evelyn Appiah Esq. to inspire visually impaired students of the school with their life stories on how they overcame challenges and accomplished their dreams despite their disabilities.

Mr. Anomakodea encouraged the students to learn very hard and never use their disability as an excuse of not accomplishing their dreams, while the lawyer on her part told students that there are opportunities available to them and that they have to do their part by learning hard.

Abdul Hayi Moomen, a newscaster at GTV, a third role model who accompanied the team told students how he was personally inspired by his friends and that despite their disability they can and should follow their dreams.

Miss Blessing Henebeng, a 20 year old visually impaired student expressed how she was discourage when she got blind and thought that her world had come to an end but listening to the stories of the mentors has given her hope that she can still achieve her dreams of becoming a journalist. The Headmistress of the school, Mahella Narh also expressed her gratitude to both NGOs for coming to the school to inspire the students and said that the doors of the school are always open.

Miranda Agnes Quainoo, Coordinator of the program indicated that Greight Foundation works to empower young people and women from difficult backgrounds, while Interfaith Ghana promotes understanding between people using inter-faith dialogue to engage social action projects, and that the project would run till 2014.