Working for All of Humanity
"I want men and women to be the best they can be," Daniel Kofi Osei says, "and every child to achieve their dreams."
Daniel, who's from Ghana, has dedicated himself to the social and economic empowerment of marginalized people, especially in the Global South. He came to Thunder Bay in 2022 to take Lakehead's Master of Social Justice program after earning a BA in Sociology and Linguistics from the University of Ghana.
The period between receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree and arriving at Lakehead was transformational for Daniel—it turned him into a passionate advocate for equality, eager to fight injustices like child labour and environmental degradation. "Ghana's national service program inspired everything that I do now," Daniel explains.
“My time at Lakehead has been unique and amazing,” Daniel says.
In Ghana, every young person undertakes one year of mandatory national service, and Daniel completed his placement at the telecommunications company Airtel Ghana Limited where he engaged in corporate social responsibility (CSR) work. "I studied the impact that flagship Airtel CSR programs like Touching Lives, Rising Stars, School Adoption, and Coding for Girls had on underprivileged children."
This led him to co-found the Amansie Youth for Development Foundation to improve the welfare of people in Ghana's Bekwai Municipality. In 2019, Daniel assumed the eye-opening role of Assistant Director of Administration with the Local Government Service of Ghana where he promoted participatory democracy and improved service delivery.
These early career and volunteer experiences deepened his desire to lead a life of service to others—and to enrol in Lakehead's Master of Social Justice program. "In all of Canada, Lakehead is the only university that offers this program," he says.
Daniel thrived in Lakehead's supportive learning environment. "The classes were small, and my professors were like my colleagues and mentors."
It was through Dr. Kevin Brooks, the Social Justice Studies program advisor, that Daniel began a new chapter in his activism after a representative from Development and Peace – Caritas Canada spoke at Dr. Brook's Theories of Social Justice class.
Caritas, the international development arm of the Catholic Church of Canada, seeks to address the root causes of poverty, oppression, and inequality by working with partners in the Global South and by mobilizing Canadians to act. In 2022, Daniel became Caritas's northern Ontario youth representative and established a Caritas chapter at Lakehead. "It's given me the chance to travel around Canada and raise awareness about how we can assist impoverished people."
Daniel received a Lakehead Leader Award for Sustainability in 2023 for his work with Caritas and with Compassion Canada, an organization committed to eliminating child poverty. "As a Compassion Canada volunteer, I write to children in Thailand, Uganda, and Indonesia," he says. "They send me drawings and tell me about their friends and school, and I give them advice and motivation. It's very meaningful to me."
Now that Daniel has graduated from Lakehead, he's contemplating becoming a human rights lawyer. But whatever he decides to do, Daniel will do it with the conviction and integrity that has made him a powerful champion for those who can't always speak for themselves.
Daniel is a volunteer letter writer with Compassion Canada. “When I was 10,” he says, “I began receiving letters from an overseas organization. It was very exciting, so when I had the chance to write to children myself, I grabbed it.” Above, Daniel receives a Lakehead Leader Award.
