A non-profit organisation dedicated to cancer advocacy, Lifeline Childhood Cancer Ghana (LCCG), has inaugurated a learning and recreational facility at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital to support children undergoing cancer treatment.
The LCCG Learning Hub, Awo’s Nest, seeks to provide a child-friendly environment where children receiving treatment can read, learn, play and interact away from the clinical setting of the hospital.
The facility was inaugurated last Tuesday, in partnership with the Department of Child Health of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
It was named after Professor Lorna Awo Renner, a paediatric oncologist and Professor in the Department of Child Health at the University of Ghana Medical School, in recognition of her contribution to paediatric oncology.
Facility
The hub contains a library stocked with child-friendly books, play areas, television sets and child-appropriate furniture.
It also has an outdoor extension attached to the main facility, providing additional space for activities involving children and their caregivers.
The establishment of the hub was supported by several organisations and individuals, including the Ghana Library Authority, Cross Foundation, Ashfoam Ghana Limited, Provident Insurance Limited, and KEK Insurance Brokers Limited.
The rest are Clone Inventive, Astro Turf Ghana Limited, Fidelity Bank, Fortune Lotteries, Adenta Mountain View Lions Club, AppsNMobile Solutions Limited, the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) and Eugenia Asafo Boakye.
The Ghana Library Authority provided technical support and supplied books for the hub, while Ashfoam supported the project with all its furniture needs.
The Executive Director of LCCG, Akua Sarpong, said the organisation's broader objective was to ensure that children affected by cancer could receive treatment while experiencing normal childhood.
She said the facility would ensure that children receiving cancer treatment did not lose important aspects of childhood, including education, recreation, social interaction and creative expression.
“Cancer treatment should not become a reason for children to miss school, friendships and opportunities to simply be children.
“We want to give them a safe environment to temporarily step away from the hospital routine and engage in activities that support their emotional well-being,” she said.
