The SOS Villages Ghana (SOS-CV Ghana), has provided food packages to 10,160 children and 245 families in Tema, Asiakwa in the Eastern and Kumasi in Ashanti to ensure those vulnerable families have consistent nutrition as part of its COVID-19 intervention.
Besides, it has also provided Veronica buckets and other hygiene materials to lorry stations and police stations, Chief palaces, mosques and churches as well as district assembly offices and families living in large households at Asiakwa.
The National Director of SOS Children’s Villages Ghana, Mr Alexander Mar Kekula, said SOS Villages Ghana had also supported children with alternative models for schooling, such as e-learning and homeschooling when schools remained closed, as part of government’s directives to contain the spread of the pandemic among the population.
In his report dubbed “AN EXCEPTIONAL YEAR IN EXCEPTIONAL TIMES!”, Mr Kekula said, “Our four programme locations in Tema, Asiakwa, Kumasi and Tamale has provided care for 544 children and young people in our Alternative Care Programme and 2,794 in 791 families in 11 communities as part of our Family Strengthening.”
According to him, following the outbreak of the pandemic and to ensure the safety of children and staff, they were engaged in virtual leaning organised by SOS Herman Gmeiner Schools (HGS) across the country to facilitate teaching and learning for completion of the academic year of the schools closure.
He mentioned zoom classroom, WhatsApp, google and flexiquiz as some of the virtual learning platforms used.
The SOS Villages Ghana head said about 3,300 youth were engaged physically on the No Business as Usual (NBU) Programme, adding that the programme had trained and coached 258 youth including Head Porters (Kayaie) with 96 awarded with startup tools such as industrial sewing machines, overlock and knitting machines, cake mixers and make-up kits after a successful assessment to enable them to launch their businesses.
The SOS-CV Ghana, he said, had partnered with the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) in a project to boost Green Employment and Enterprise Opportunities dubbed “GrEEn” which focuses on providing fundamental skills for “Cash for Work” beneficiaries.
According to him, the GrEEn project would be implemented, particularly in Amenfi East, Offinso Municipal, Nyemah East, Jomoro and Sekyere Kumawu.
Touting the achievements of SOS-CV Ghana, Mr Kekula said 11 SOS mothers and two aunties in Tamale were trained in foster care by the Department of Social Welfare to boost their leadership capacity for effective discharge of their duties.
The National Director of the SOS-CV Ghana was grateful to the First Lady and patron, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, for making a generous donation of COVID—19 relief items, the Church of Pentecost for hygiene materials and food items, and organisations and individuals for their support over the years.
BY NORMAN COOPER
