Oppong Nyantakyi

Profile

I am Oppong from Accra, Ghana. I am interested in youth empowerment, leadership, and advocacy.  I am outgoing and enjoy meeting people from all over the world as it allows me to learn more about different people and different cultures in the world. I’m always inspired to learn new things.  

I love the ocean because it gives me a sense of calm and relaxation. It made me reflect and think deeply. Sometimes I just sit there and admire its beauty. I will love to live close to it someday. 

I serve as a project and volunteer coordinator with the Cheerful Hearts Foundation, a grassroots nonprofit focused on combating child labour and trafficking in rural fishing communities in the Central Region of Ghana.  

We address the root causes of child labour and child trafficking through advocacy, education and health initiatives, and child education support programs. One of the organization’s main goals is to empower youth through skills and leadership training and sports programs to realize their potential and take positive action to make a lasting impact in their communities. 

In my work, I actively advocate for children’s rights and oversee the design and implementation of our educational program activities. Over the years I have worked on projects that focus on addressing social issues affecting children’s rights, health, and education in rural fishing communities. I lead project teams to design and implement interventions by engaging actively in the field to raise community awareness about children’s rights, the dangers of child labour and child trafficking, the importance of education, and the provision of quality and inclusive education in local schools. I also coordinate international and local volunteers and interns. Another important aspect of our work is that we conscientiously work closely with those in the communities we serve. 

I also support other nonprofit organizations, including Patriots Ghana and Leading Well Ghana. I am focused on helping create an environment where the youth are empowered, included and take active actions in creating social change in their communities. 

Being able to help address some of the social issues in my community and make a good impact on people’s lives through my work motivates me everyday.

My colleagues also inspired me a lot and contributed significantly to the growth of my passion from the very beginning. There is nothing more empowering than knowing that I am making a difference through my work while working with a collaborative team of dedicated and selfless individuals.  

One of my greatest inspirations is the people in the communities I work with. I’m honored to hear the stories of people who let me be part of the solution. I feel so blessed that they tell me their stories of how they navigate life and that I can connect with them on a deeper level. They inspire me to cherish every day of my life. I enjoy  spending time with and mentoring the youth and children in my community; they can be very inspiring. 

I am pleased to realize that my efforts can have an impact, even if small. One of such impact is from a reading program that I created and led a team (with diverse background and experience) to design and implement, which has helped children in an under-resourced community to develop good reading habits, enhance their reading skills, and improve their learning. Our Student Tutoring And Reading (STAR) club was founded as a result of this initiative. The club provides a welcoming, safe, and enjoyable learning environment for all children.   

My work in the area of education where we engage closely with key stakeholders has led to the development of the teacher training program, which we have design to provide practical training to teachers in deprive communities in order to improve teaching and learning methods. It’s always exciting to see teachers putting what they’ve learned into practice in their classrooms and assisting their students development. Many of the teachers who took part had never had any official training. 

I’m proud to be a part of our advocacy project, which has educated over 50,000 people, including opinion leaders, teachers, parents, and children, in rural fishing communities in the Central Region of Ghana about the rights of children, child rights laws, and the importance of education. We strive to raise awareness about the dangers and negative effects of child labour and  child trafficking. 

We have trained and supported many youth in the communities we serve, empowering them to enact positive changes in their communities for years to come. They are fully aware of the scope of social issues concerning their communities and beyond, and understand their role as young leaders in effecting social change. 

I believe that we all have a responsibility to make the world a better place. I am not looking to change the world, but I hope that what I do can actively contribute to addressing some of the social issues I see every day. I believe that it is not enough to be concerned about inequalities and social injustice everywhere, we need positive actions to impact the change we seek, so it is important to me that my work can inspire and empower people to take those actions as well.  In my opinion even a small effort done well can have a significant impact. There is an African saying that, “I am because we all are” This implies to me that we are all responsible for the world we inhabit and should make a positive contribution.