They Often Cry Outreach (TOCO) is spearheading a charity concert to raise funds to support vulnerable youths in various communities in Ghana; especially Greater Accra region.
The concert dubbed, ‘Hands Across Africa Festival’ will have an expo and youth tournament as part of it to deepen youth engagements.
The Hands Across Africa Festival and Expo is conceptualized as a cross-continent initiative with the objective and leveraging the platform of reggae music to extend support to people on the downside of social and development issues.
At the launch of the event yesterday, April 12 in Accra, Executive Director of TOCO Foundation Seth Yeboah Ocran said the event is to bring much needed change and shape the future outlook of marginalized children in the Ghanaian society.
“TOCO Foundation, YOKS Investment Limited and the Ghana Tourism Authority are collaborating to bring to Ghana what is intended to an ongoing effort with a tangible impact on Ghanaian youth. Its overarching philosophy is that children are our collective heritage; one we can safeguard with inclusion and affirmation strategies.”
The CEO of YOKS Investment Limited added that Hands Across Africa Festival & Expo leverages its platform to help the youth to expand their network, and through this exposure, imagine new possibilities, which can create a shift in the trajectory of their lives.
CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Akwasi Agyeman stated that the initiative aligns with the ‘Give back Ghana’ pillar of Beyond The Return for which reason his outfit will accord TOCO Foundation the needed support.
Taj Weekes, founder of TOCO Foundation shared that the benefit events will help to connect bridges of opportunities for young people.
“I think I speak for many when I say that the opportunity to walk this soil is the dream for most people of African descent. And it is this inherent longing that makes the Ghanaian people, the landscapes and the sense of community so familiar for us.
“We thank you tremendously for the opportunity to widen our TOCO community, and in so doing, build new bridges that connect people with each other, and link youth with opportunity and in some small way, transform lives,” he posited.
TOCO Foundation is a USA/Ghana based non-profit organization with a mission to raise awareness and address the issues that affect the youth through advocacy and social support. The organisation’s broad focus also includes the sustainable agriculture, environment, health and wellness, diabetes and gender equity and the popular, TOCO Youth Tournament – a college player showcase, which aims at exhibiting Ghana’s football talent for US college coaches in the hope of securing football scholarships.
The Africa Festival and Expo & Youth Tournament will take place in the months of July and September respectively this year.
By: Samuel Obeng Appah
