Chapter 11-Winning Support

Eric sat at the edge of his bed, staring at his notebook. It was filled with ideas—plans for making Ghana great. But ideas alone weren't enough. He needed action. He needed people to believe in him.

His radio interview had made waves. Some people were impressed, but others had laughed him off. The doubters didn't bother him—what mattered was finding those who believed.

"Eric, you have a visitor!" his mother's voice called from the living room.

He hurried out and nearly froze when he saw who it was. Mr. Ofori, a well-known businessman in the community, sat on their couch, chatting with his father.

"Ah, here he is," Mr. Ofori said with a smile. "Eric, good to meet you. I heard your interview on the radio. Impressive for someone your age."

Eric shook his hand, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. Why was someone like Mr. Ofori here?

"I believe Ghana needs more young people who think like you," the man continued. "So tell me, Eric, what's next?"

Eric hesitated. No one had ever asked him that so directly before. "I… I want to do something small first," he said. "Something to prove that we can make a change, even as kids."

Mr. Ofori leaned forward. "And what would that be?"

Eric thought for a moment. His school. That was the perfect place to start.

"I want to make my school cleaner and greener," he said. "I want students to care about their environment. If we can change our school, we can change our country."

Mr. Ofori smiled. "I like that. A leader should always start small. Tell you what—I'll sponsor you. I'll provide gloves, trash bags, and some seedlings for planting. But only if you can get at least fifty students to join."

Eric's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes," Mr. Ofori said. "But leadership is about getting people to follow you. If you can convince them, I'll keep my promise."

Eric nodded. "I will. Thank you, sir!"

As Mr. Ofori left, Eric felt a fire inside him. He had a mission now. He had support. But the real challenge was ahead—getting his fellow students to believe in his vision.

The Next Day at School

Eric stood in front of his class again, just like he had during his speech. But this time, he wasn't talking about dreams. He was talking about action.

"I know some of you think I talk too much," he started, his voice steady. "But this time, I want to prove that we can do something real. A challenge. A competition. Something fun."

Now, his classmates were listening.

"We clean up the school. We plant flowers. And the house that does the best job wins a prize—a brand-new football, donated by Mr. Mensah."

Murmurs of excitement ran through the room. Even Kwesi, the troublemaker, raised an eyebrow. "A new football?"

"Yes," Eric said. "But it won't happen unless enough students join. We need at least fifty people."

"How do we sign up?" Ama asked.

Eric pulled out a sheet of paper. "Write your name here if you're in. And tell your friends."

By the end of the day, the list had sixty-four names.

As Eric looked at the signatures, he smiled.

This was it. The first step towards something bigger.