DreamChild Foundation to construct 5 paediatric clinics
A charity is partnering relevant organisations to raise funds to build five paediatric clinics for the underprivileged in the country.
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DreamChild Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), expresses the hope to locate the clinics in the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Western, Northern and Volta regions.
The foundation will leverage its novel HoodTalk Music festival project, including youth musical concerts, to create awareness and use it as a marketing platform to highlight the need for affordable paediatric care for the underprivileged, the girl-child included.
DreamChild will partner organisations such as the Virtual Hub Entertainment Ghana Limited and other NGOs to raise funds to build the multi-million dollar clinics and equip them.
These initiatives came to light at a meeting between the leadership of the foundation and the Managing Director of GCGL, Ato Afful, in Accra last Monday.
The meeting was to firm up preparations towards the launch of the musical event and the entire project, and to further deepen relations between the Foundation and the GCGL.
In attendance were the President of the foundation, Reginald Laryea, the foundation's Co-founder, Kofi Amoakohene, and its Chairman, Olorogun Oskar Ibru.
Context
The initiative is in line with the foundation's objectives of using the culture of music to empower and support the African child.
It is also expected to help empower the youth to be resilient in the struggle for economic independence and mobilisation of the millennials for tree planting exercises to curb climate change.
The construction, procurement of equipment, acquisition of lands for the proposed clinics and the music festivals across the nation are expected to cost $14.5 million.
Objectives
Explaining the objectives of the event, Mr Amoakohene said the musical event had three main objectives.
They include creating a platform for the youth to dialogue on developmental issues including how to be socially responsible for the plight of the girl-child.
He announced that the Foundation would launch activities for the Music festival event at the Wan-Shi Gardens at Asylum down in Accra on Thursday, August 3, 2023.
It will be the first to be launched in Ghana, to be followed by other West African countries and the entire African continent in subsequent years.
GCGL is the Foundation's major media partner in Ghana to help make the project succeed.
Already, President Akufo-Addo has endorsed the Foundation's initiative and encouraged it to carry on with the project.
Itinerary
On the itinerary for the event, Mr Amoakohene revealed that the first musical concert was expected to be held on Saturday, September 2, 2023 on the site which contains the four plots of land acquired by the Foundation for the construction of the first paediatric centre at Ashiyie-Regimanuel Katamanso area, off the Adentan-Dodowa highway.
It will be followed by others at the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium in Tamale, the Northern regional capital, on Saturday, September 23, 2023; Baba Yara/ Heroes Park in Kumasi in the
Ashanti Region on Saturday, October 7, 2023; Gyandu or Methodist Park in the Western Region on Saturday, October 28, 2023; and Ho Sports Stadium on Saturday, November 18, 2023.
The musical concerts will be climaxed at the Independence Square in Accra on Saturday, December 9, 2023.
The event in Accra, Mr Amoakohene further explained, was expected to be graced by some local and international musical icons.
He said the occasion would also be used to present awards to some music stars similar to the ones it had held in the past.
Dream
Touching on how the whole concept began, the co-founder said: "We got inspired by the speeches of the President of Ghana and the US Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer.”
Mr Laryea, for his part, expressed the hope that the Foundation would be able to achieve its target between now and December this year and in subsequent years.
Commitment
The Managing Director of GCGL, for his part, stated that since the company was a national brand with its flagship newspaper, the Daily Graphic and digital channels, it could not afford to let such an event pass by without contributing to its success.
“Owing to my heritage and relationship with the partners over the decades, it is something worth investing in,” Mr Afful said.