The Challenge tasked to give back to society

After weeks of intellectual debates and interviews, this year’s season 4 of The Challenge are;  Prince Anyetei Adjei, Felix Afutu, Deletsu Dennis Selase, Sharon-Rose Delali Lithur, Samuel Offei, Mafando Caesar, Afua Yeboah Coffie, Samaad Yussif, Desmond Hackman, Samuel Asante Benneh, Broni-Bediako Emmanuel and Florence Ziniel

The challengers were not given time to rest; their first task was handed to them few days after they had been selected. In their first task, they were to raise funds and do a charitable donation to any charity organization of their choice within 48 hours.

The twelve challengers were divided into two groups. Smiles 6 group is made up of Mafando, Afua, Asante, Samaad, Emmanuel and Felix. They chose the Junior Girl’s Correctional Centre in Osu, which was established in pre-independence era, around 1949, to give character reformation and vocational skills training to juvenile offenders. It also serves as a place where care and protection is given to girls on remand from the juvenile courts.

There is also the Boy’s Remand Home and a shelter for Abused Children, all located in the same compound and managed by the Department of Social Welfare. Observations by the challenge team, “Smiles 6”, who inspected the facility, saw that the facility was in a very deplorable condition and needed improvements. The catering training room which doubles as a kitchen for the inmates of the aforementioned homes was in a very deplorable in its current situation posed a lot of challenges to inmates.

The Smiles 6 team raised funds, first of by themselves, with each member in the group contributed GH¢100 each and the rest of the money coming from ordinary people on the street, public offices, private companies and also on facebook, where they received money through Tigo Cash.

The Smiles 6 team painted the whole building, tiled the floor, sealed the ceiling and cleaned ceiling fans and again provided them with four table burners.

Sydney Hushie, a representative from the British Council, who inspected their work was speechless and full of praise for the team. He congratulated them for a good work done and hoped they will continue to support the correctional centre and school even when The Challenge Competition ends.

The headmistress of the South Labone Vocational School was very grateful and said it is very difficult getting financial support for the correctional centre because of stigmatization, but the challengers have proved that anything is possible.

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