AUGUST 2010

The Michael Essien Foundation in association with the Chelsea Foundation is giving two youngsters from Ghana the chance to realise their dreams of playing at Chelsea.

The Michael Essien Foundation aims to give hope and inspiration to underprivileged kids in Ghana and with the help of Chelsea's charity - the Chelsea Foundation, has invited two young boys from Ghana to take part in a three-day residential camp from 17 - 20 August.

The aim of the camp is to provide fun educational sessions to enhance natural development and improve skill and technique, plus small-sided games and mini tournaments to encourage team play.

The youngsters would never have had the chance to realise their dream of playing football at Chelsea had it not been the Foundations’ generosity and aims of helping the needy.

It has to be noted this is only a three-day visit but will still give the two boys a chance to meet kids from other parts of the world and enjoy the first-class facilities and hospitality that the Chelsea Foundation courses have to offer.

Michael Essien said: 'I am proud that we have been able to help these boys live their dream, which is what the Michael Essien Foundation is all about.

'We have been working hard behind the scenes and with the help of Chelsea Football Club we will be giving the boys hope and inspiration - a key message of the Foundation.

'A very big thank you to everyone at Chelsea and the Chelsea Foundation for being so kind and generous - especially everyone directly involved in this small project of giving the boys a chance to realise their dream. I am truly grateful,’ he concluded.

The two youngsters are from western Ghana and if the project goes to plan, the aim is to invite more underprivileged kids each year in association with the Chelsea Foundation. 

The Michael Essien Foundation will be unveiling more of its projects in the coming months.

MAY 2010

Michael Essien Foundation, in association with the Ghana Ministry of Education, Pearson Education and Chelsea Football Club has launched a project dubbed, "Reading Goals" to inculcate reading habit in basic pupils.

To this end, three books with interesting contents on the Ghanaian international football hero, Michael Essien, the 2010 World Cup and the events and history surrounding the previous World Cups, have been launched to ensure the success of the project.

The books were developed by the Pearson Education, a global education services provider, in partnership with SEDCO Longman, its local partner.

The Pearson-SEDCO Longman group, has made available 90,000 copies of the books to Ghana's Central Regional Education Directorate, to be freely distributed to upper primary pupils to ensure that the project, which also aims at increasing literacy levels through a professional approach, succeeds.

Michael, in a recorded message played to the audience, who were mostly pupils, drawn from basic schools in the region, urged children to take their education seriously because it was the only weapon to propel them to greater heights. Other collaborators of the project include One-Goal

Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, Minister of Education, who simultaneously launched the project and the books at the auditorium of the School of Medical Sciences of the University of Cape Coast, at the weekend, said it marked the beginning of a revolution in reading among Ghanaian children

Mr Michael McGarvey, Sales Director, Africa and the Caribbean of Pearson Education, said the company would use the project to build language skills and develop vocabulary levels of children.

Mr Frank Segbawu, Manager of SEDCO Longman, a publishing firm, said it would also in subsequent months extend the books to other basic schools across the country.