Sowing seeds of compassion in Ghana

"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive."

Dalai Lama affirmed this in his book: "The Art of Happiness". Accordingly, one couldn't agree more with the lack of empathy and compassion in today's society.

To highlight the importance of compassion in society, activists from the "Ghana Compassion Connectors" recently launched an initiative to help inspire greater awareness for compassionate living and action among school children in Ghana.

For the reason that nurturing compassion helps young people to be kind to themselves and others; which points the way to achieving the better world we all desire.

The initiative aims to encourage young people to contribute to issues of national concern, such as the low educational attainment rate among children and the adverse impact of climate change.

Considering the problems facing Ghana today, due to the lack of compassion- Meshach Bondzie, a career-guidance counsellor and lead activist of "Ghana Compassion Connectors" in a press statement said: "We Ghanaians continue to face many challenges but we also have an incredible resource that we can draw upon: the spirit of our young people.

"50% of our population is below the age of 20. These are the people who can change our present and shape our future. I believe that compassion is hard-wired into us but it needs cultivating and coaching. Working with these young people I can see that they are eager for action and want to get stuck into projects that can help their peers and elders to live better, kinder, and happier lives. I am looking forward to building this movement of compassionate action with them and spreading it across the whole of Ghana.”

For her part, Dr. Mamphela Ramphele, world-renowned activist and Chair of the Global Compassion Coalition- impressed with Meshach's initiative said: "Change is coming to the continent of Africa. Millions of young people - guided by people like Meshach and his team - are waking up to the empty promises and false narratives they've been taught and are choosing a very different future. They are choosing inclusion and community over violence and difference."

With the worsening climate catastrophe due to rising global temperatures and 2023 being the hottest year on record, Dr. Mamphela Ramphele affirmed that:

"Young people are choosing to face down climate change and call out the inaction of the global community in the face of the crisis. And they are choosing to embrace a vision for our continent which is based on our common humanity, on Ubuntu. I am excited and honoured to see the role groups like Meshach's are playing in this transformation."

Ghana Compassion Connectors is an initiative founded by 25 activists led by Meshach Bondzie from Accra, Ghana.

The compassion activists have identified several projects that they intend to undertake as part of an effort to create “communities of compassion” that bring people together to offer support, care, and aid to those who need it. Besides, they intend to create “Compassion Circles” for young people across the 16 regions of Ghana. These circles will act as hubs of support and care as well as promote knowledge and awareness of the power of compassion.

The main focus of Ghana Compassion Connecters is to bring compassion coaching to young people through their schools and colleges.

As claimed by the Global Compassion Coalition: "Compassion is hard-wired. It’s an evolutionary development that began with the parent-child relationship and, as societies have grown, has been extended to allow us to form supportive and caring relationships with our friends, neighbours, colleagues, and communities.

The human species could never have survived and thrived without compassion – allowing us to create systems like healthcare and public services that bring support to millions."