United States Naval officers aboard the USS Nashville under the African Partnership Station (APS) have presented humanitarian support worth $40,000 for the upkeep of inmates of the Ogyam Orphanage Foundation in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region.
The sailors also presented educational materials to some basic schools in the Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis and renovated and painted some blocks at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital.
The items presented to the orphanage included clothes, bed spreads/blankets, toys, baby diapers, footballs, easy wears, among others, as well as playing materials.
The Commander of the USS Nashville, Capt Cindy Thebaud, said apart from the officers sharing experiences with their Ghanaian counterparts, they also deemed it right to support institutions such as orphanages, hospitals and schools.
She said the APS always acted upon the recommendation of sister navies in the partner countries under the station on what support they could give to the needy in West and Central Africa.
Captain Thebaud said the sailors were very happy when the children greeted them with joy and expressed the hope that the items would be of a great help to them.
“Our joy was to see the smiles on the faces of the children and care givers. We are more than happy,” she noted.
The Founder of the home, Mrs Thea van deu Bosch, said it was important to give a helping hand to needy children and ensure that they were brought up in a socially acceptable manner.
She said it was important to take care of orphans and give them the care they needed to ensure that they did not grow up on the streets where they would be exposed to danger.
Mrs Bosch said the foundation started when she visited the country and came face to face with the plight of the children, saying, “I was deeply touched by the state of the children, as some died from very simple and preventable diseases such as pneumonia, abdominal infections and the simple flu.”
She said on her return to The Netherlands, she had support to ship sponsored aid goods to Ghana in March 2005.
She said at the moment the orphanage had about 62 children, which was enough at the moment, saying, “We are not only interested in admitting the children; we should take those we can cater for at a time, not increasing what we cannot support.”
She appealed to members of the general public, churches, associations and groups to come to the aid of the children.
The US and the Ghana navies also played music for the children, while the personnel danced with the children.
No comments:
Post a Comment