Our determination to transform lives through literacy, vocation seriously on course - Engage Now Africa Country Director

The Country Director for Engage Now Africa, Cecilia Amankwah, has revealed that many lives have been transformed through their literacy and vocational training programs.

She added that the outfit was determined to transform many other lives.

She said Engage Now Africa in partnership with the Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and other partners, has so far trained 13,878 in Literacy and Vocational Skills.

The Country Director disclosed this at the graduation of about fifty-four (54) individuals who completed training in Literacy and Vocational Skills as part of the international Literacy Day Celebration at Onwe in the Ejisu Municipality of the Ashanti Region, under the theme, "Promoting Multilingual Education, Literacy for Mutual Understanding and Peace."

According to her, Engage Now Africa (ENA) is changing the narrative with literacy across fourteen (14) out of the country's 16 regions.

She noted that presently, the organization is serving 282 communities in Ghana with 358 facilitators and the learner population stands at 13,878 across the 14 regions.

She indicated that 8,191 have graduated with the necessary capabilities to bring about transformative change in their communities.

According to her, when vocational skills and literacy work are in tandem, the learner can be said to have been empowered, as Engage Now Africa offers vocational training to their learners, and has 8,428 occupational skills learners who have undergone training in one vocational skill or another.

Miss Amankwah indicated that Engage Now Africa is ready to partner with entities that share their vision of transforming Ghana.

She said the 54 learners graduating should be ambassadors, empowering all as desired.

She said the issue of literacy remained a red hot-button switch that always needs special attention since the development of every nation hangs on education, and the celebration demonstrates their passion to see the individual, institutions, and nation develop through literacy, hence adult and youth literacy is expensive, yet they cannot ignore it.

The Country Director of Engage Now Africa disclosed that learners do not have any financial commitment since every aspect is free.

"On the contrary, if the cost should sway them, ignorance will bring them the bill for its damaging and destructive nature. There is a pressing need to harness literacy's transformative potential for promoting mutual understanding, social cohesion, and peace," she said.

She indicated that the approach can help promote mutual understanding and respect while solidifying communal identities and collective histories.

She said development runs on the wheels of literate citizens, and for that matter, the multiplying effect of literacy on the individual, nation, and world is priceless.

Miss Amankwah expressed the view that the value addition that education bears on nations' development cannot be underestimated and therefore, any action that tries to take or destroy literacy should be dealt with holistically to keep the wheels of learning running without a halt.

According to her, literacy is a liberating tool that can transform individuals, families, and nations, and the transformative abilities of literacy are as enormous as their benefits over the years.

She said lives have changed, and destinies have been restored through the instrumentality of literacy.

Meanwhile, some of the 54 beneficiaries who graduated on the day expressed their joy in sharing experiences of what they had gained.

They thanked Engage Now Africa for such a wonderful program and encouraged others to get themselves involved in these adult literacy and vocational training programs whenever the opportunity comes.