Africa-Press – Ghana. The Zonta Club of Tema, an international service organisation, in collaboration with Buck Press, has launched a “Read a Book” campaign at the Twedaase Primary School to cultivate a consistent reading habit among pupils, particularly the girl child.
The initiative, which serves as a pilot project for the club’s educational outreach, seeks to
address the lack of library resources in public schools while providing mentorship through monthly reading sessions.
Speaking at the launch, Mrs Benedicta Adwoa Kortey, President of the Zonta Club of Tema, said that the campaign aligned with the club’s international mission to advocate for the rights and welfare of women and girls.
“We realised they lack a lot of books, and we wanted to encourage the children to read, most especially the girl child,” she said.
Mrs Kortey explained that the engagement would not be a one-off event, as members of the club intended to visit the school once a month to read with the pupils.
To sustain interest, she noted that the club had introduced an incentive package where pupils who frequent the library or demonstrate exceptional reading skills would be awarded badges and special presents at the end of every term.
She assured that the club was prepared to offer sponsorship and support to brilliant girl children as they progressed to higher levels of education, including junior high school and tertiary, based on recommendations from school authorities.
Mrs Alexandra Jaani, a past president of the club, highlighted Zonta’s holistic approach to empowerment, which includes Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) clinics and health screenings.
She emphasised the importance of physical activity alongside academic work, noting that the club had acquired a park to ensure children had a dedicated space for exercise and recreation.
“They have to play, they have to exercise, they have to be focused, and it all comes through a park,” Mrs Jaani added.
The Zonta Club of Tema uses such platforms to engage adult women in marketplaces on resource management, savings, and positive thinking to improve their socio-economic well-being.
