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Archived Bulletins
December 2003
SAVE A SMILE CAMPAIGN
By Linda Fiah
Class of 2005
 The turn out was great, and all present were dazzled and marveled at the response. Some wondered where Machiavelli got his theory that "man is selfish, egoistic and self-serving," because at Ashesi University College where the Save a Smile Fund was launched, this statement is not true. On the 19th of September, 2003 there were a lot of wonderful smiles throughout the campus. Thank you 'Ashesians' for supporting the Save a Smile Fund in the attempt to save the waning smiles of young Ghanaians.
The Save a Smile Fund is an initiative of members from Ashesi's student community who believe that a great person is one who helps others to be great. Based on this belief, the students have decided to make small donations of a hundred cedis every day towards the fund. The proceeds from the fund at the end of a year will be used to organize a party or purchase essential items for children in an orphanage. The fund has received an encouraging amount of support from members of the student body, who are genuinely willing to help their underprivileged brothers and sisters. It is refreshing to see young and promising future leaders involved in helping others. This behavior is a testament to the African belief in brother and sisterhood.
There is an African maxim that translates as "humanity has no boundary." We should be concerned about each other irrespective of wealth or social status. Unfortunately, there are far too many children on our streets today and we should not watch their futures waste away. Far too often, as we go through town, we hear the loud screech of car tires as a child hawker has been narrowly missed as he or she runs across the street without watching to make a sale. Other times, a desperate attempt to brake turns futile, and a precious young life is lost. Yet the most many of us do is sigh and whisper a prayer of thanks to the powers there be to spare the child an early death. Unfortunately, this is not enough. The Save A Smile Fund seeks to support street youth because the children on the streets could have been any one of us, or our siblings.
Julius K. Nyerere of Tanzania, a contemporary African writer and statesman, once made this statement that "one of the achievements of our African society was the universal hospitality on which they (the members of the society) could rely on." Let us not make this statement a fallacy, let's not fail our predecessors who believed in humanity, lets help humanity for "onipa nua ni onipa" (Ones kinsman is another human being). Have you saved a smile today?
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