Radio personality and former Senior producer of the maiden and popular Sunday Night show on Assase Radio, Jonas Abedi-Anim, celebrated his birthday with his former primary school as he donated learning materials and refreshed them.
In a heartwarming return to the Mantse Tackie Tawiah Primary School at Adabraka, in the Korle Klottey Municipality, Abedi-Anim spent his day at the school that nurtured him from childhood today, August 31.
He visited the school with his entourage, exchanged pleasantries with the staff, toured the educational architecture that holds his budding memories from thirty years ago, and shared words of encouragement with the students as well.
The radio personality donated learning materials, which include textbooks, reading material, stationery, bags, and 400 copies of branded exercise books with inspirational inscriptions, from his international non-governmental organization, Phi Beta.
He shared his inspiration to depart from the chilling-based celebration of a birthday to return to his roots and support the deprived schoolchildren, inspiring them to spur on to greatness.
“About thirty years ago, I attended school here. I lived with kids in very deprived conditions. I won’t say mine was any better, but I could tell from the level of provision. I’m looking at where God has taken me, I can celebrate my birthday with thousands of friends, drink and eat, but once I remember where I came from, the condition under which we studied: no books no pens no incentives, I would rather spend this day with kids. ” He said.
He shared how thirty years ago he witnessed the plight of his peers, who were deprived of basic necessities and had to match up with academic demands. He deemed the gesture one to inspire the kids and encourage his contemporaries to give back to their societies, as the joy of the children was his satisfaction.
“I am doing this to encourage my brother and sister out there that yes, it is good to party and chill, but you also have to know that you came from a community. If God has blessed me, the little I can do is to give back to these kids My satisfaction is the smiles on their faces; that is my satisfaction; it is self-gratifying.” He said
The headteacher of the school expressed their gratitude to their benefactor and appealed for more donations towards the school. She also took the opportunity to call on old students of the school to extend a helping hand to the school, which needs support.
“Our children are less privileged; they need a lot of things. They are from CMB, Agbogloshie; they are living in kiosks, and when it is raining season, most of them don’t come to school because most of their uniforms are being swept away by the floods. As teachers, it is our job; we are sacrificing. We are doing our best already, but the environment wasn’t friendly enough. Matse Tackie has come in and they are renovating.” She remarked.
The Mantse Tackie Tawiah cluster of schools, which was established in 1947 and named after the then Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Tawiah I, as an experimental school, is currently undergoing a facelift as the incumbent Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, in collaboration with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, has started refurbishing the school.
Jonas Abedi-Anim, a broadcaster and former producer at Asaase Radio, has garnered much experience in the media landscape. He was formerly a news anchor at NET2 Television, led a team that worked with UNICEF on a project to sensitize the coastal belt of Ghana against child trafficking and child abuse from 2002 to 2005 and also led the Parent and Child Foundation.