Miss Malaika 2010, Ama Nettey will formally unveil her pioneering project on the 5th of November, 2011 at the grand finale of Miss Malaika 2011 in Accra.
The project tagged ‘Ama Nettey Help the Lepers Project’ (ANHLP) is Miss Nettey’s audacious initiative to address the challenges plaguing people affected by leprosy. ANHLP seeks to end discrimination and other human rights violations people affected by leprosy go through in Ghana and other parts of Africa. This project will be officially announced at the grand finale of Miss Malaika 2011 but the actual formal launch will held in June 2012 at a grand event in New York, USA.
This was contained in a statement signed by Miss Ama Nettey in Accra on Wednesday. The statement said the announcement on November 5th will outline a plan to set up a centre called ‘Ama Nettey Hope Centre for Lepers’ and also feature a video documentary on the project.
Miss Nettey envisioned the campaign for leprosy during the Miss Malaika 2010 Reality series when contestants visited the Weija Leprosarium in Accra. On the final night of the pageant on 16th October 2010, during the speech session, she declared a campaign to end discrimination and other human right violations faced by people affected with leprosy in Ghana and around the world.
It can be recalled that when Ama was asked why she chose the leprosy project during the 2010 Pageant grand finale, she shed more light: “When I joined Miss Malaika this year, I had in mind what I intended saying tonight. I was so prepared and set to go. However, a few weeks to the grand finale, I had a life changing experience; a chance to visit the Weija Leprosarium. I was touched by the lives of the inhabitants and that was the turning point for me. My perception about life changed and so did my speech. My reason is simple. Life is not just about us and that is why tonight I would love to share with you the basic facts about leprosy.”
Ama Nettey Help the Lepers Project is being managed by African Dream Consulting (ADC), a management and promotions firm, in partnership with the Leprosy Aid Committee of Ghana, the World Association of Non-Governmental Organization (WANGO), Roberta Annan Consulting and Honeybee Productions with support and inspiration from Rev. George Adu Bonsu (Rev. Benjilo) and the Hope Chapel, Achimota-Accra.
Mr. Eric ‘Rozay’ Amankwah, CEO of African Dream Consulting has hinted that a five-day event will be held in New York in the second quarter of 2012 to officially launch Ama Nettey Help the Lepers Project. This will involve visits to select leprosy centers, meetings with key international NGOs including the United Nations department on the vulnerable groups, and also an interactive conference with civil society groups in New York City. It will also serve as an occasion to formally unveil a five-year development plan for leprosy support in Ghana to the press.
Miss Ama Nettey in her statement said the big announcement this weekend will mark the beginning of a nationwide campaign, with global support, to make an impact on the lives of people who have been stigmatized by the disease-leprosy.
Go Ama! Congrats and Good luck