Care Generation Africa supports Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital
The Care Generation Africa Foundation (C-GAF), a non-governmental organisation, has presented assorted items worth GHC35,000 to the Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital in Cape Coast.
The items included bags of rice, sugar, gari, maize, bales of faytex sanitary pads, toilet rolls, boxes of nose masks, washing soap, detergents, sanitisers, packs of soft drinks and pastries for 100 patients.
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Members of the organisation during the visit also went round the wards to interact with the nurses and patients to appreciate their challenges and to listen to their concerns.
The Chairman of C-GAF, Stephen Bennet, on behalf of the foundation, said the interaction would help raise more awareness of the predicament of the mentally challenged in the society.
Background
Formed in 1999 and registered in the year 2000, the foundation (C-GAF), serves two main groups of under-privileged people which is the mentally challenged patients at the Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital and students of 11 JHS basic schools preparing for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in communities such as Ajumako Bisease, Ajumako Techiman, Breman Bedum, Gomoa Brofoyedur, Abura Abaka, Agona Abodom in the Central Region.
The C-GAF also organises skills development for teachers and finances at least one mock examination for the students each year.
Mr Bennet said C- GAF had become a source of inspiration and support for patients at the Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital.
Explaining how the organisation decided to support the Ankaful inmates, Mr Bennet said following the abrogation of the group's HIV/AIDS advocacy programme, it decided in 2008 to shift its focus to other sectors of health.
He said the organisation had since 2009 been donating assorted items to the Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital and interacting with the patients to coincide with the celebration of the Fetu Afahye of the people of Cape Coast every year.
He said the support for patients in one of the health facilities in Cape Coast was agreed upon by the group and Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital was, therefore, chosen.
“The feeling of satisfaction in members of the group after sharing their widow’s mite with the patients at the hospital and the belief in God and rewards in heaven for charitable works give members inspiration and meaning to continue pursuing the objectives set for themselves until the end,” he said.
The C-GAF chairman further commended the hospital administration for facilitating and helping to sustain the project.
Benevolence
The Head of Administration at the Ankaful Psychiatry Hospital, Thomas Chireh Kuusaano, who received the items, said the hospital relied on the benevolence of kind-hearted individuals and institutions to complement government’s subvention.
However, he said, the subvention had never been adequate and the hospital periodically faced funding challenges and therefore donations by benevolent groups such as the C-GAF augmented the subvention.
Mr Kuusaano expressed appreciation to the group and said the gesture was one of the biggest the hospital had received this year.