The Good Shepherd Congregation of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, located in Lashibi, has presented a variety of items to the New Horizon E.P Educational Centre of the Blind in Ho, Volta Region.
The donated items, which included bags of rice, gallons of cooking oil, milk, canned fish, biscuits, Milo, sanitary pads, toilet tissue, detergents, and school bags, were intended to bring joy to the pupils at the Centre.
The presentation took place during the Centre’s 5th Anniversary celebration, held under the theme: “Five Years of Using Innovation and Technology in Promoting Inclusive Education for Learners with Visual Impairment; Our Success, Challenges, and the Way Forward.”
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency, Mr Gershon Breni, the Catechist of the Lashibi Good Shepherd Congregation, explained that the items were donated by church members as a demonstration of love and encouragement for the learners.
He emphasized that the donation was part of the church‘s corporate social responsibility towards the less privileged in society and also served as one of the activities commemorating the Congregation’s upcoming 25th anniversary in November.
Mr Breni further emphasized that although the Church, as the body of Christ, was actively involved in societal development and transformation, more support was needed to enable people with disabilities to explore their potentials fully.
The Catechist commended the director and management of the Centre for their commitment and efforts in improving the lives of visually impaired children in the region and beyond.
He urged the Centre’s management to ensure proper maintenance and use of the donated items for their intended purpose, in order to enhance the well-being of the children.
Presbyter Bettina Hewlett-Bogart of the Good Shepherd Congregation encouraged parents of children with disabilities to seek opportunities for their children to fulfil their dreams. She appealed to parents to stop concealing their children with disabilities and instead bring them to the Centre to receive training that would enable them to navigate life more easily.
The Presbyter called on all stakeholders, including the media, to create an enabling environment for people with disabilities to reach greater heights and make meaningful contributions to the country’s development.
Additionally, the West Volta Presbyterian Women Fellowship of the E.P Church also made similar donations to the Centre to support the children’s well-being.
Rev. Mrs Nieem Adiepena, the Board Chairperson for New Horizon Foundation of the Blind, expressed gratitude to the donors and assured them that the items would be utilized to improve the lives of the learners.
She highlighted feeding, maintenance, infrastructure, and transportation for medical check-ups as major challenges facing the Centre and appealed for support from all.
Rev. Mrs Adiepena urged the Ghana Education Service to collaborate with the Ministry of Health to conduct annual eye screenings for children, aiming to reduce the incidence of visual impairment in the country.
She also called for the economic empowerment of mothers with visually impaired children to enable them to provide support for their children.
Madam Mildred Abena Sakitey, a member of the Event Fundraising Committee of the Lashibi Good Shepherd Congregation, expressed gratitude to the congregation for their generosity and appealed to the Church to continue supporting the vulnerable members of society.
