Over 2,000 pupils from schools in the western parts of Accra are slugging it out among themselves in a heated contest to find a befitting name for the West Hills Mall mascot.

Pupils of some 20 first cycle schools selected from communities within and around West Hills Mall’s catchment area and from other parts of Accra West, are participating in an exciting child-focused community outreach initiative which engages the artistic and creative potentials of the school children and seeks to connect children to their immediate surroundings.

Beginning this exercise in February this year, West Hills Mall donated 5,000 colouring books to just as many pupils in 20 schools in a two-month long competition to pick five best artistic talents from the lot.

Children aged between 4 and 12 from key public and private schools at New Weija, Dansoman, New and Old Bortianor, Kokrobite, GICEL-SCC, and other communities in the West of the capital, were given colouring books and crayons to colour the West Hills Mall Mascot – a hearty caterpillar character, clad in deep blue-and-yellow costume - and give it a befitting name which will be adopted by the Mall for good.

Said a teacher at a participating school in Dansoman, ‘The practical nature of this extra curriculum exercise has brought a lot of excitement to our pupils. Quite a number of our wards have only heard about West Hills Mall through gossip; many haven’t seen it for themselves; but this gesture seems to have brought the famous mall to their door step. They are all so thrilled and it will be something else if one of ours gets to win a prize!’

Within the colouring book are forms in which the children must provide details about themselves, their school and contact information about their parents or guardians. Once completed by the children, all forms were either submitted directly to the mall or collected at the school.

As at the close of March, when the deadline for submission of forms elapsed, more than 2,000 school pupils had submitted entries and judges have began evaluating the forms to select the best five. The winners will be presented with special Samsung Kids Tablets.

‘The level of enthusiasm and excitement displayed by the children, especially after they received their colouring books was astounding and I have no doubt that we are making a difference in the lives of these children’, said Michael Oduro Konadu, Marketing Manager at West Hills Mall.

‘I believe that this initiative, which seeks to embolden the school child and bring out their creative potentials should be a regular feature in our effort to build affinity with our immediate communities’.