By Amin Kef Sesay
During a short but auspicious programme that was held on the 12th October 2022 at the NP-SL Head Office on Siaka Stevens Street in Freetown by an organization known as, EDUCON21, which is headed by one Ambassador Dr. Alex Bangura, Ambassador Kobi Walker, who happens to be the current Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum-Sierra Leone Limited, was honoured as Goodwill Ambassador for the Implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 (UNSDG 4) which places emphasis on countries rolling out Quality Education.
It was in the discharge of that role that motivated the Goodwill Ambassador on Monday, 20th December, 2021 to address members of staff of the SOS Children’s Village during their Staff Retreat which was held at Hotel Conteh-U Hall. In a very powerful presentation, the Goodwill Ambassador, Kobi Walker, called for cohesiveness in the workplace in order to enhance effective and consistent service delivery amongst workers of the SOS Children’s Village.
Speaking on the theme: “Building a Cohesive Workforce Through Consistent and Excellent performance: The Role of Coworkers in Enhancing Program Quality”, AMB. Walker explained that building a cohesive team is a never-ending process. He stated that every new project comes with different challenges and that it is important for leaders and managers to consistently make sure that their team are working well together and reaching results effectively.
He described workplace cohesiveness as a team’s ability to effectively work as a whole towards a common goal. “Workplace Cohesiveness does not come naturally for most people and must be fostered out of trust and interpersonal mutual relations amongst team members. Co-workers that feel united and more connected to each other are more likely to succeed when working on projects and communicate and interact effectively when performing tasks related to the end goal,” the SDG Goal 4 Ambassador averred.
Kobi Walker continued that working towards team cohesion also allows Managers and team leaders to improve their leadership skills and management abilities by encouraging creative thinking and providing opportunities to expand their understanding of how teams work together effectively.
He explained that as a parent, he has always supported his children and call on the staff of SOS Children’s Village to act like parents to the children in their care.
He mentioned that whatever contribution they make in the life of the children will be rewarded to them by God and will work out well for them especially during their old age as some children will never forget who was with them at their lowest moments in life. He called for cohesiveness, collaboration, passion and the provision of parental like treatment to the children of SOS Children’s Village.
The SOS Children’s Village in Sierra Leone has been supporting vulnerable children, young people and families in Sierra Leone since 1974.
With the main focus on child care, protection, support and development, the SOS Children’s Village in Sierra Leone takes care of vulnerable children so that they can have the privilege and opportunity to reach their full potentials in society through Education, Life-skill support, Emergency Programs etc…
The impact of cohesiveness amongst staff of the SOS Children’s Village will enable them to offer quality parental care and support to at risk children whilst contributing to the vision, mission as well as the overall aim and objectives of the organization.
