Recently we have witnessed many incidents where internet made a person from nobody to somebody. Just a few weeks back, a chaiwala from Pakistan with the looks of a supermodel became an internet sensation. The guy’s picture went viral, he grabbed a lot of eyeballs, and ended up landing himself a job in a modelling agency. And after that, a security guard, Lee Minwei from Certis Cisco was driving girls crazy on the social media.
Internet is a very powerful tool for the mankind, while some people criticize internet for making people anti-social and lazy, but what they don’t realize is if internet is used properly, it has the power to change the world.
You don’t believe that? Well the story of Jake might change your perception. Jake is a 5-year-old boy from a small village in Ghana. The little kid accidentally ended up raising thousands of dollars for his school by becoming an internet sensation. Jake’s stern expression changed his life and the lives of many children in his village.
Jake lives in lives in Asempanaye, a small village in the north of the Ghana. It is surrounded by dense tropical forests, rivers and rushing waterfalls. Jake would have never thought how his face has the power to change his own future and the future of his village.
It all started when Cameraman Carlos Cortes, a photographer traveled to Ghana in 2015 to make a documentary on an artist named Solomon Adufah, who is returning to his home country from the United States.
Carlos took hundreds of pictures on his tour. He took pictures of little children who are being taught art and creative studies by Solomon Adufah. Jake’s picture was one among the hundreds.
Cortes managed to capture the Jake’s priceless expression in his photography. Speaking to the BBC, he said,
I just caught Jake in the moment of his teaching. He was pensive type; shy and quiet.
Solomon Adufah shared Jake’s photo on his Instagram, and then an internet sensation was born.
https://twitter.com/danielmarven/status/791129674483175424
The picture went viral. The internet took Jake’s serious expression and turned it into a meme. Take a look.
How agency peeps take down notes at a status meeting that has gone to the dogs pic.twitter.com/lZJYMqfNL3
— Social Experiment (@MediaMK) October 19, 2016
https://twitter.com/Adv_Akhona/status/791922358319738880
Let's settle this. Who wins meme game between 2. RT for the black kid, fav for the white kid. pic.twitter.com/yiikRndsMA
— Shoe Bag Seller (@theOnly3pe_) October 26, 2016
When Adufah heard that the picture has gone viral. He was worried if they were making fun of Jake. Initially he wasn’t going to respond. But then he thought, what if all these ‘likes’ turned into actual funds to help?
Adufah set up a Go Fund Me page to raise money for Jake’s education and funds to support the other children in the village. And in less than a week, the campaign has raised almost half of its $20,000 (USD) target.
My goal is to secure funds to help support Jake’s tuition from primary school through Secondary school and beyond.dufah writes. Much like Jake, my goal is to support many of the students who are in Jake’s position. Those children are in need of proper school uniforms, shoes and sports attire. Due to the lack of consistent electricity in Ghana, it is sometimes difficult for the children to do their homework at night as seen in the picture above. I will provide an alternative generator during power outages. This money could make a huge difference to the kids.
We are so happy that Jake and the other children of the village can now receive a good education. Internet does have the power to change people’s lives. So always use it properly. The power is in your hands.