The development of the Zongo communities in Accra and other cities in Ghana has over the years faced huge retrogression. This has resulted from the lack of support in improving the educational and infrastructural systems in such communities.

The youth in the Zongo communities are predominantly from very poor homes and easily fall prey to social vices. School dropout rate is also very high and most of the youth in the communities are not able to pursue their education to the Senior High School and Tertiary institution levels due to lack of proper guidance and support from parents and the society in which they find themselves in.

In spite of these challenges, there are a few people within the Zongo communities who have been able to excel academically and now pride themselves with respectable careers.

A group of young professionals who grew up in the Zongo communities known as the Zongo Inspiration Team have come together to help create positive change within their communities by mentoring Junior and Senior High School students to reach their academic and career aspirations.

The group, Zongo Inspiration Team (ZIT) held its second mentorship program dubbed Zongo Dream Mentorship Clinic at the Nima-Maamobi Community Library on Saturday 30th May 2015. Over 150 students from JHS and SHS in Nima, Maamobi, Accra New Town and surrounding communities participated in the mentorship clinic.

Mentors from ZIT used their personal life stories growing up in the Zongo communities and bracing all the challenges to excel academically and professionally to inspire the participants.

A participant of the mentorship clinic, Ramzy Ibrahim, who is in JHS1 at the Greater Care School in Maamobi said he had learnt a lot from the program and will continue to study hard to be a doctor.

“I want to be a doctor in future. This mentorship clinic has inspired me to take my books as my friends in order to pass my exams and continue to the Senior High School to study General Science.”

The Curator of the Zongo Dream Mentorship Clinic, Abdul Rashid Zakari was excited that the program was successful and charged the youth in the Zongo communities to dream big and believe in themselves.

“The dream is really big and we want to try as much as possible to make an impact in our community. The Zongo Dream Mentorship Clinic is here to stay.”

The Zongo Inspiration Team has pledged to continue volunteering their time to mentor the youth in their communities in order to churn out more professionals in varied fields of endeavours.

They believe this will go a long way in inspiring the next generation and ensuring progressive development in the Zongo communities.

The Zongo Dream Mentorship Clinic will be replicated in all Zongo communities in Accra, Kumasi and other parts of Ghana in the next few years.