NASCO Foundation partners Proactiva Open Arms to reduce migration victims NASCO Foundation partners Proactiva Open Arms to reduce migration victims

By Julius K. Satsi, GNA

Accra, April 27, GNA - Mr Ousman Umar, the Founder and President of NASCO Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation has urged Ghanaian youth to avoid the attempts of migrating to Western Europe through the dessert.

Narrating his ordeal on the dessert for 21 days, Mr Umar described the dessert as a ‘grave’ saying many people perish each day and therefore pleaded with individuals especially the youth who had planned to embark on such a journey to reconsider their decisions.

He said he travelled through the dessert with 45 other people from Brong Ahafo Region but was fortunate to be part of the six people who survived the 21-day journey horrified by deaths and anguish.

Mr Umar narrated his story at a press conference to announce NASCO Foundation’s partnership with Proativa Open Arms, aimed at offering tools to make individuals especially young people to make their dreams possible at home to avoid fleeing to search for greener pastures.

The partnership has targeted four areas - provision of education on migration issues; teaching young people the needed skills to develop their capabilities; prevention of children and adults from putting their lives at risk; and empowering Ghanaians to believe in their community to build a better future. 

Mr Umar indicated that although, he had the experience in 2005, many people kept migrating through that same route to search for greener pastures and called on the government to introduce more socio-economic intervention programmes.

NASCO Foundation has the aim of providing academic resources to individuals from eight to 18 years old, giving support with educational initiatives through social, economic and environmental activities to improve lives of the underprivileged communities.

Proactiva Open Arms is a Barcelona based NGO founded by Mr Oscar Camps with the aim of preventing the loss of human lives while running away from wars, persecution or poverty.

Mr Bansco Seidu Nuhu, the Executive Director of the NASCO Foundation addressing the media, indicated that the primary goal of the foundation was to compliment government’s efforts in the provision of quality education especially in the area of Information Communication Technology (ICT) literacy.

He said the Foundation had however developed and was currently implementing projects in bee-keeping, tree planting among others to support marginalised women in society for the improvement of quality of lives.

He said the operational areas of the NASCO Foundation had been the Tuna-Sawla-Kalba district, where it had established five learning centres and having trained more than 11,000 students in secretarial portfolios, graphic design and web design.

Mr Nuhu said the efforts of the Foundation gained international recognition, when in September last year, the International Communication Union in Geneva, Switzerland recognised it as the ICT Champions 2017.

Ms Laura Lanuza, the Press and Community Manager of Proactiva Open Arms said that the NGO was partnering NASCO on the project because its Founder had started based on an experience he had as an entrepreneur, dedicated to lifeguard and rescue operations.

Proactiva Open Arms started after the Founder saw photos of children drowned in the Aegean Sea in September 2015, when Mr Camps decided to jump into action because he realised there was no help for refugees.

The NGO had since 2014 played crucial roles in saving the lives of thousands of people who tried to reach Europe by sea.

GNA

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