Community Celebration at Darul Haddis
Following strong community interest generated by our school and community sessions, the Hope Education Project hosted a final public event as part of the pilot on Saturday, 22 March 2025, in New Gbolo. The event turned into a celebration of everything we have achieved in the schools and community programs and a fitting way to close the pilot project.
Women in all three communities surrounding the pilot project schools program were asking us to hold open sessions for the entire community. We didn’t have the resources to run three sessions so we chose to run one in New Gbolo at the Darrul Haddis Junior High School. Darrul Haddis had presented the biggest challenge at the start of the program but the students surprised us at every turn with their enthusiasm and grasp of the program. It was only fitting we chose it as the community for our last hurrah.
The event was led by Programs Manager Mariama Adam, supported by our Survivor Advocate, Wunzooya and the Hope Education Project volunteer team. Word spread quickly through the surrounding area, and more than 120 women and young girls attended the session – a testament to the growing demand for trafficking prevention education in the community.
Program Highlights
The session included several key elements:
- Survivor Testimony: Wunzooya, our Survivor Advocate, shared her personal story of being trafficked to Saudi Arabia for labour exploitation, offering a powerful firsthand perspective.
- Founder’s Testimony: Angus Thomas, founder of Hope Education Project, spoke about rescuing Nigerian women trafficked to the UAE for sexual exploitation.
- Student Performance: Students from Darul Haddis JHS performed a human trafficking awareness play they had developed as part of Module 5 of the Schools Program. Their dramatisation captivated the audience, bringing key safety messages to life. Many of the students’ mothers, sisters, and relatives were present to witness their performances.
The students closed their play by leading the audience in the Hope Education Project slogan: “Be Smart! Be Strong! Say No When Things Feel Wrong!”.
Community Response
The overwhelming turnout and enthusiasm reflected one community’s growing appetite for trafficking prevention education. The participants asked insightful questions, shared reflections, and voiced strong interest in having more programs like this in the future, especially for girls and young women who were either excluded from school or did not complete their education beyond JHS level.
Community leaders praised the students, survivor advocates, and facilitators for creating an event that not only educated but also uplifted the entire community. The combination of the personal testimony from Wunzooya, our Survivor Advocate, the program inoput from Mariama and the student’s performance proved to be a powerful formula for engagement and learning.
Closing Reflections
The Darul Haddis community celebration was a fitting culmination, we would actually say celebration, of the Hope Education Project’s first phase in Tamale. By blending school-based initiatives with inclusive community engagement, HEP is building a movement for change, equipping young people, families, and local leaders with the knowledge and tools to resist trafficking risks.
