Rotary Club of Accra Labone hands over refurbished dorm to Shelter for abused children
The Rotary Club of Accra Labone and its partners, Rotary Club of Mainz Rheinhesson in Germany, have handed over a refurbished boys’ dormitory at the Shelter for Abused Children at Osu, Accra, to officials of the Ministry of Social Welfare.
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The benevolent act saw the partners re-tile the floors, fix the ceilings, doors and windows, WCs and mosquito nettings as well as painting of the home whose construction predates Ghana’s independence.
In a brief presentation ceremony during which instructors of the facility led some of the inmates in joyful songs and dances, president of the Rotary Club of Accra Labone, George Agyekum expressed hope that the effort would help reduce some of the challenges of the centre.
According to Agyekum, the project by the club to refurbish the facility started during the last Rotary year under the then presidency of Lamtiig Apanga and was hopeful that managers would strive to maintain the facility as a sign of the good bond between the club and centre.
It was not the first time though that the Rotary Club of Accra Labone had supported the facility, and officials promised further assistance into the future.
Mr. Daniel Nonah cutting the tape to the dormitory. Supporting him are from left, Georgina Mensah, Deputy Director of Social Welfare in charge of Standards, Monitoring and Evaluation; behind her Mr. Lamtiig Apanga, Mr. George Agyekum (red shirt) and Madam Love Grace Ahlijah.
Director of Social Welfare, Mr. Daniel Nonah, who cut the tape to open the refurbished dormitory, expressed gratitude to the club and its partners for the gesture, saying it has brought bright light to an otherwise derelict facility. He said most facilities providing shelter for vulnerable children across the country are in “bad shape” and called on the public to go to their aid.
“Please help us in whatever way you can”, he said, intimating also that the Ministry would soon rollout a programme to reach out to street children with a view to socializing and reintegrating them into the society.
Deputy Director of Social Welfare in charge of the Shelter for Abused Children, Madam Love Grace Ahlijah, told Graphic Online that the facility serves as temporary home for abused children, missing children, trafficked children and others on the run from homes as a result of mistreatment.
There were 16 inmates at the Shelter at the time of the handing over, plus nine boys at the Remand Home who had cases pending in the courts, and four girls at the Girls Correctional Centre.
An inspection of part of the dormitory
The facility also includes the South Labone Girls Vocational Training Centre, and according to Madam Love Grace Ahlijah, the inmate population can swell unexpectedly and though the government supports the running of the facility financially, philanthropic donations have greatly sustained operations.