HITA, a German NGO engaged in the health and education sectors of Ghana, the Chances Foundation, a Ghanaian NGO engaged in health and educational interventions, and DreamsAlive (now Grow Your Dream Foundation), a vibrant team of development workers operating in the Adaklu District , have joined forces to empower children and adolescents across the region. On Sunday, 5 January 2020, these three organisations had the honour of handing over a range of carefully chosen donations to Togbe Lablulu in a celebration held in Adaklu-Waya, the capital of the Adaklu District.
First, 80 school bags were distributed to selected children (girls) of Waya and four surrounding villages. All of the children selected come from vulnerable backgrounds and face the risk of inadequate access to school education due to their family’s inability to pay for even the most basic equipment. The donation is based on a proposition of the DreamsAlive Foundation, whose work is based on the premise that empowering girls and women is one of the most effective means to boost the development of disadvantaged communities. Indeed, there is now a strong consensus among development experts that giving girls the same opportunities as boys to fulfil their potential is the way ahead for faster and more self-sustaining development. 55 bags (each of which filled with contents including colouring pencils, a name badge and an exercise book) were presented to school-age girls who had been transported to the site of the event from Waya and surrounding villages by courtesy of Togbe Lablulu; the remaining 25 school bags will be delivered to more remote villages by the team of DreamsAlive in the coming days. This activity benefits form the in-depth knowledge and experience of the DreamsAlive team about the needs of the most deprived citizens of the Adaklu district.
Second, two new computer labs have been set up by the German HITA at Adaklu Senior High School in Waya and the Basic School in Adaklu-Hasu. HITA has extensive track record in setting up modern computer labs in educational institutions across Ghana, focussing especially on nursing and midwifery education settings. This experience is used in Adaklu to enable more school children to benefit from IT-based learning methods, thereby letting them benefit fully from the potential of computers and the Internet to improve learning outcomes and prepare pupils for the jobs of the future.
Third, the EPC Clinic in Waya, which is currently in the process of becoming fully operational, was provided with a range of medical equipment donated by health institutions in Germany. The equipment will contribute to an improvement of health care services to children and adults in Waya and the whole of Adaklu.
Special emphasis is placed on guaranteeing that the donated equipment is tailored to the needs and conditions of the target community, that it is fully operable and that it will be maintained to last over many years to come. This is one way in which HITA sets itself apart from many earlier donor-lead initiatives that, although well-intended, did not contribute tangibly to development because of too little thought given to maintenance and sustainbility over the longer term.
All of the donations stem from private persons, schools, health institutions and companies in Germany. These donations had been collected through the previous year by HITA.
The activities are part of a longer-term plan of HITA and the Grow Your Dream Foundation to work together for boosting development in the Adaklu District.
Among the speakers of the event were Togbe Lablulu, chief of the Adaklu District; Mr. Richard Atiemo, Health Coordinator for the EP Church, Adaklu; Mr. Samuel K. Taylor, Headmaster of the Adaklu Senior High School; Mr. Jacob Ahiave of the DreamsAlive/Grow Your Dream Foundation; Mr. Thomas Erkert and Mr. Karsten Gareis, Head and Board Member, respectively, of HITA. As MC Mr. Nananyaw Bediako was guiding through the programme.
Special thanks were given to Mr. Emmanuel Chance, Owner-Manager of Chances Hotel and Head of the Chances Foundation, who could not be present for health reasons. Without Mr. Chance‘s hands-on support none of the donations would have been possible.
Programme of the Hand-over Ceremony (5 January, 2020)
OPENING PRAYER
INTRODUCTION OF HONOURABLE GUESTS by MC Mr. NANAYAW BEDIAKO
WELCOME ADDRESS/PURPOSE OF THE GATHERING (MR. BEDIAKO)
WELCOME NOTE (TOGBE LABLULU)
SPEECHES BY:
- JACOB AHIAVE, DREAMSALIVE FOUNDATION
- THOMAS ERKERT, I.E. TOGBE AWUMENU (HEAD OF HITA), AND KARSTEN GAREIS (HITA BOARD MEMBER)
- SAMUEL K. TAYLOR, HEADMASTER OF ADAKLU SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL, ADAKLU-WAYA
- RICHARD ATIEMO, EPC HEALTH COORDINATOR FOR ADAKLU
HANDING OVER OF 80 DONATED SCHOOL BAGS TO TOGBE LABLULU AND FROM THE TOGBE TO THE CHILDREN
HANDING OVER OF TWO DONATED COMPUTER LABS TO TOGBE LABLULU AND FROM THE TOGBE TO THE ADAKLU HIGHSCHOOL AND THE BASIC SCHOOL HASU
HANDING OVER OF THE DONATED MEDICAL EQUIPMENT TO TOGBE LABLULU AND FROM THE TOGBE TO THE EPC CLINIC WAYA
CLOSING REMARKS AND WORDS OF THANKS (TOGBE LABLULU)
CLOSING PRAYER
Poster
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