Then and now: Niyerijon’s journey as a child ambassador

The children our donors help support around the world are bright, hardworking, and ambitious. And when they have sufficient school supplies and support, they can achieve even their biggest goals.

One of these bright, hardworking and ambitious children is 10-year-old Niyerijon, a child ambassador in Ghana. He is already showing leadership virtues, according to his mother, Mansah. She tells us how he is always the one to organize games with his friends and siblings.

Mansah is proud of her son Niyerijon (right) and all the great strides he's made as a child ambassador.

Much of Niyerijon’s success is attributed to his perseverance and joyful disposition, but in part, it is due to being a child ambassador through Canadian Feed The Children’s sponsored child program. Niyerijon’s been a child ambassador since he was four years old. Now at ten, it’s inspiring to see his educational journey and what has changed in his learning.

Leading by example in his community

When he first became a child ambassador, Niyerijon told us he was proud to represent his community and have Canadians learn about the home that he loves so much. At school, he was excited to learn math and play football with his classmates on the playground. His future career aspiration was to become a peacekeeper because he wanted to foster world peace.

Now, when asked the same questions, Niyerijon’s answers have changed slightly but his passion for his community and helpful nature remain the same. Still adoring his community, he tells us his neighbourhood is so peaceful and the children gather in the school’s playground, even on weekends, to play football with one another. Football is still Niyerijon’s favourite game.

Years ago, he told us that his school had a teacher shortage which, thanks to donor support, is currently no longer an issue. And while he doesn’t want to be a peacekeeper anymore, he dreams of becoming a nurse to help provide good health care to his community.

Child Ambassadorship is transforming lives

Mansah, his mom, has seen the changes in her son since becoming a child ambassador. She expressed that Niyerijon has been studying on his own at home without prompting from her, and his teachers have noted that his performance at school has steadily improved over the past two years!

Niyerijon when he was four (on the left) has grown into the responsible and dedicated 10-year-old that he is today (on the right).

Thankfully, donor support has been there to help Niyerijon continue his educational pursuits. Generous CFTC supporters made a world of difference for him and his siblings by providing school uniforms, exercise books, and backpacks when Mansah and her husband faced financial troubles. Additionally, his school was provided with textbooks, desks, and chairs that enriched the learning environment.

Seeing how much Niyerijon has grown and thrived these past years as a child ambassador warms the heart, and we can’t wait to see how much more he’ll succeed in the years to come.

With these new school supplies, Niyerijon is well-equipped to become a leader in his community and wanted to thank CFTC donors himself: "Thank you for my new school uniforms - I love them! And the new textbooks and furniture that were supplied to my school too. Now, we sit comfortably in school."