The 10th edition of Mawunyo Kidafest lit up Trekume, a quiet village in the Anlo District of the Volta Region, on Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, drawing hundreds of children and parents for a full day of games, gifts and life lessons centered on joy, discipline and hope.
The annual Christmas event, popularly known as Kidafest, was organized by David Kwame Mawunyo Agboado, the national deputy public relations officer of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union under the Trades Union Congress. This milestone edition marked a decade of consistent community engagement aimed at putting smiles on children’s faces.
From early morning, Trekume’s open grounds buzzed with excitement as children lined up to participate in a wide range of activities. These included balloon popping contests, egg-breaking games, musical chairs, spoon-and-lime races, and competitive car and motorbike races. Boxing bouts for both boys and girls drew loud cheers,
reflecting the organizer’s passion for sports development.
Children were treated to drinks, food, toys and assorted gift items, while parents and other community members also shared in the Christmas festivities.
Agboado said an estimated 800 children benefited from this year’s celebration.
“My estimation is about 800 kids,” he said. “They’ve had drinks, beverages, food, gift items and toys. This is just a token. After they finish eating and drinking, the gifts will flow again.”
He said the motivation behind Kida Fest dates back nearly four decades to his childhood.
“The motivation started way back in November 1986,” Agboado said. “My late father, Warrant Officer 1 Livingston
Kojo Agboado, was a military policeman. He was part of the second combat team sent to Lebanon in 1975, and later went on peacekeeping in Liberia, where he was hit by a stray bullet.”
Growing up as a barracks boy, Agboado said his father’s love for sports, especially boxing, left a lasting impression.
“My father liked boxing and was an athlete,” he said. “During the military end-of-year WASA parties, he usually engaged in boxing bouts. That gave me the motivation and interest in boxing. I want to see somebody from this village become a professional boxer one day.”
The first nine editions of Kidafest were
held at Anlo Afiadenyigba, his late father’s hometown. He said the decision to host the 10th edition in Trekume was deliberate, as it is his mother’s hometown.
“When my father died, my mother went through a lot,” he said. “We moved from Elwak Barracks to Anlo Afiadenyigba, a small village, and faced serious economic challenges. I was a little over 11 years old. Those experiences shaped me.”
Agboado said his happiness now comes from seeing children smile.
“I always want kids to be happy,” he said. “When I see kids happy like this, then I am happy.”
As a father, he offered advice to both
children and parents. To the children, he urged patience, discipline and a love for education.
“Nobody grew straight into adulthood,” he said. “Your books should be your closest companion. Don’t follow peer pressure. Learn from people like Nelson Mandela and other prominent personalities.”
To parents and guardians, he stressed the importance of involvement at home.
“Teaching and learning start from home,” he said. “When children come from school, ask them what they were taught. Check their homework thoroughly.”
Agboado also called on Ghanaians to take collective responsibility for national
development. “We are all to be blamed for where we are as a nation,” he said. “When we do the right thing, we’ll get the right results. What I am doing now is giving back to society.”
As the sun set over Trekume, laughter, music and applause filled the air — a fitting celebration of 10 years of Mawunyo Kidafest and a renewed promise to invest in Ghana’s next generation.
By Kingsley Asiedu
