BY: News Desk | Voltaonlinegh.com |
The Mental Health and Well-being Foundation, a non-governmental organization has handed over a fully furnished 10-seater modern toilet facility to the Cured Leper’s Village at Godokpe in the Ho municipality.
The project, funded by the Australian High Commission in Ghana, was to address the insanitary condition in the village which was due to the absence of a decent place of convenience for the inhabitants, who are mostly poor aged cured lepers and their dependents.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony on Tuesday, May 26, 2020, Mr. Divine Kporha, Project Manager of the Foundation said the NGO initiated the project as part of its objective of bridging the inequality gap in society through the provision of basic amenities for marginalized groups.
He added that the project was therefore in line with United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); Goal 3, 6 and 10, which focus on good health and well being, clean water and sanitation as well as reduced inequalities respectively.
Mr. Kporha also extended his outfit’s appreciation to the benevolent individuals and institutions that supported the project in diverse ways.
‘Our profound gratitude goes to the tax payers of Australia, the University of Newcastle, University of Health and Allied Sciences Ho, Prof Chris Kewley, Prof Mike Hazelton, Dr. Francis Acquah, Dr. Gina Teddy, Lawyer Kwabena Adjei among a host of others for their support towards the completion of the project.’
On his part, Australian High Commissioner, Andrew Barnes said the High commission was proud to have been associated with project, which would bring respite to the beneficiaries and also go a long way to improve their well being.
The facility, he added marked the end of his 4-years tenure as the High Commissioner to Ghana and expressed hope that the relationship established would continue to bring inure to the benefit of the people of Volta Region and beyond.
He however admonished the beneficiaries of the project to ensure strict maintenance of the facility for it to last its lifespan.
Togbe Afele II, Divisional Chief of Ho-Hliha, who donated land towards the project, lauded the intervention of the Mental Health and Well-being Foundation and its partners for helping to end the several years of open defecation in the community, which he noted would see to the reduction of sanitation related illnesses among the community members.
The ceremony was climaxed with a presentation of COVID-19 relief items to the cured lepers, who have also been hardly hit by the impact of the global pandemic.
The items sponsored by Dr. Francis Acquah, President of the Foundation include food stuff, nose masks and hand sanitizers.
Some of the beneficiaries, who spoke to Volta Online after the commissioning, invoked tons of gratitude and blessings on the NGO and its partners for addressing one of their major plights in the community.
Source: www.voltaonlinegh.com