The situation has left her with the responsibility of looking after the children alone, due to the weak social and legal systems in the country that make it easy for men to shirk their responsibilities towards their children.

Vida has been in an abusive marriage for the past four years, and is currently traumatized by that experience.

[contextly_sidebar id=”KqTzvdq7tpmrNWv368sLZSOW6rd5GjJr”]“It has been almost three years now since we fled from Tamale, occasionally my [husband] comes to my stepfather’s house to abuse me when he is high on alcohol and his weed, he attacks,” she said.

The lady, who is currently staying in her stepfather’s house with the four kids is being evicted this Saturday.

The biggest challenge, however, is that the stepfather is demanding that the lady and her kids vacate the house.

“I am now looking for NGO to come in to help because the kids do not go to school, he does not pay their fees, I cannot do it all alone, and I am being thrown out the house,” he said.

‘Establish funds for domestic violence‘

The Human Rights division of the High Court has ordered the government to immediately establish a domestic violence support fund to provide free medical care for domestic violence victims.

The order was part of a judgment delivered by the court in a case where a private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu, filed a suit praying the court for a directive to the government, to fully comply with the domestic violence Act passed a decade ago.

According to the applicant, section 8(3) of the Domestic Violence Act, 2007 (Act 732), mandates the State to provide free medical care for victims of domestic violence.

Mr. Kpebu further stated that, section 29 of the same (Act 732) demands that a domestic violence support fund is set up or established to provide basic material support for victims of domestic violence and to rescue, rehabilitate and reintegrate victims of domestic violence.

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By: Farida Yusif/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The project also aims at helping Africa to achieve Goal six of the Sustainable Development Goals, which is to provide clean water and sanitation for all by 2030.

Speaking at the launch of the initiative, Founder of the NGO, Dr. Donald Agumenu, said the project will by the end of 2018, provide thousand boreholes to rural Ghana. He called on corporate bodies and organisations to donate and support the cause as it is a social responsibility.

“We have built 25 boreholes currently, but the journey is far. The same way I believe in this vision, if corporate Ghana should come on board, with the leaders and this project is not painted in any party colour, it will succeed. If we can construct roads and spend billions of Ghana cedis on it, why can’t we use some of this money to construct boreholes and give people potable water.”

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, John Peter Amewu, pledged the support of his Ministry and government towards the project.

According to the Minister, policies were far advanced with new measures put in place to ensure that the country’s natural resources like water bodies are not destroyed through human activities.

Mr. Amewu urged for support and collaboration among all stakeholders, as government strives to deliver on its promises.

Each borehole is expected to cost some five thousand Ghana cedis.

The launch, which took place in Accra, was attended by representatives of the United Nations and other dignitaries.

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By: Felicia Osei/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The move was part of activities climaxing the successful launch of the foundation’s commitment to putting smiles on the faces of underprivileged children in Tarkwa and nearby communities.

JOY Foundation is a non-governmental organization in Tarkwa led by Jocelyn Andoh which primarily focuses on “assembling street children and providing them with quality formal education the Christian way” to secure the future of Ghana.

Some of the over 300 children who gathered at the Tarkwa Municipal Car Park took turns in the ‘pick and act’, choreography, and singing and dancing competitions.

Other children exhibited their skills on drums and other musical instruments. The artistic facial paintings were just irresistible for many of the lovely children many of whom were in Joy Foundation dresses.

Speaking to Citi News the Chief Executive Officer of JOY Foundation Jocelyn Andoh bemoaned the present situation of children on the streets of Ghana.

“…We also know of the situation in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality. There are quite a number of children on the street, and it is our hope that JOY Foundation will assist to get them off the street and give them quality education with Christian values as well”.

It is Christmas, and this is in our view the best time to put some smiles in the faces of all these Children you see here”.

The Municipal Chief executive for the Tarkwa Nsueaem Municipal Assembly, Ken Asmah, commended the foundation for their initiative to “give hope for these children who might have found themselves on the streets not by their wishes”.

“We as the assembly is ready to offer you the necessary support to realize this initiative”.

There were other performances from Nero X and others who were invited to complete the entertainment package meant for these children.

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By: Obrempong Yaw Ampofo/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Some of the beneficiary communities include Agormor, Ave-Avevi, Kpevi, Avevoe, Atsinuve and Buvikope, among others.

The founder of the NGO Dr Donald Senanu Agumenu, announced this when he provided a water storage facility to the Avevoe community in the Akatsi North.

[contextly_sidebar id=”62tNxanHXFadaU0WL0lYfP1qzDWMIMGT”]Dr Agumenu said the NGO had drilled a borehole for the Avevoe community but realised the water was contaminated and decided to provide the storage facility to enable them to connect water from Agormor to serve the community.

He said samples of the contaminated water would be sent to the laboratory to determine the cause of the problem.

According to the Dr Agumenu, during the team’s visit to the Avevoe community, an old woman asked him: “my son what sins have we committed to be denied clean water ever since I was born?”

Dr Agumenu said he was inspired by the woman’s statement to embark on the project because the Akatsi North communities were faced with serious water challenges, which he believed was a basic necessity for human survival.

He said the communities relied on water from the stream for their cooking and drinking, which posed health concerns and called on the authorities to be proactive and give them the needed attention.

He added that the NGO was established to champion the provision of quality water in rural Africa, adding that in three years, the organisation’s vision was to drill 10,000 boreholes on the continent.

Dr Agumenu said their outfit was poised to meet the target of the Sustainable Development Goal six – access to safe water and sanitation and sound management of freshwater ecosystems – which the NGO believed were essential to human health, environmental sustainability and economic prosperity.

Togbe Adelakpui III, the Chief of Avevoe, Akatsi North District, expressed gratitude to the management of the organisation for assisting the community to solve its water challenges.

According to the Chief, the community used to walk more than 10 miles to Agormor in the next village to get a stream water to drink and for other household chores, but the provision of the facility had brought relief to the community.

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Source: GNA

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The organization also charged regulatory agencies responsible for supervising and monitoring the activities of licensed small-scale miners must ensure lands used for mining activities are reclaimed to maintain the country’s vegetation cover.

PONA, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) is embarking on an exercise to reclaim and rejuvenate lands that been destroyed as a result of illegal mining activities.

The organization is planting trees on depleted lands in all the eight regions where illegal mining activities have caused destructions to the lands and vegetation.

Speaking at the launch of Galamsey sites Rejuvenation Project Nursery at Appiakrom in the Atwima Mponua District of the Ashanti Region, Director of Operations of the Partners of Nature Africa, Amofa Foster said the exercise will go a long way to prevent the effect of climate change.

He said his outfit chose to use rubber trees in the planting exercise because it is a way of providing jobs for the teeming unemployed youth in areas where this exercise is being done.

Mr Amofa indicated that the organization is collaborating with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Forestry Commission, the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) and the Ashanti Regional chapter Small Scale Miners Association to reclaim abandoned pits which have been dug by illegal miners to carry out their activities.

He commended Government’s decision to ban illegal mining activities and also advised licensed small-scale miners to adhere to laws governing their operations should Government eventually lift the ban on their activities.

District NADMO coordinator for the Atwima Mponua District, Osei Kwadwo has expressed worry over how the activities of illegal miners have affected socio-economic activities in the area.

He said the exercise by PONA to plant trees to reclaim abandon Galamsey sites was laudable and called on Government benevolent institutions to support the gesture.

The event which was on the theme; ‘Restoring God’s Heritage’ was also used to educate farmers and residents in the area on the need to protect the vegetation over of the country.

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By: Hafiz Tijani/Citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The alliance commended the government for the recently launched national sanitation campaign, and efforts that seek to address sanitation and hygiene issues in Ghana.

Speaking to citifmonline.com, Abdul- Nashiru Mohammed, the Country Director of Water Aid, a non-governmental organisation, said open defecation was a serious menace that needs all the attention it can get.

He said there was the need for property owners to be compelled to provide toilet facilities.

“Households have a role to play, household needs to contribute to the development of their own household toilet, you cannot leave that to government, if you are able build a house you should be able to put in a toilet” he said.

Nashiru Mohammed also noted that, there have been suggestions on the need to have a national sanitation fund, to help the country effectively end open defecation.

He suggested that money for the fund can come from extractive sectors like gold and oil and gas, which gives Ghana about four hundred million dollars or more annually.

Nashiru Mohammed said the Ministry is excited that the Alliance bought the memorandum to their doorstep, and has promised to collaborate with them and other civic society organisations in the fight to improve sanitation in the country.

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By: Farida Yusif/Citifmonline.com/Ghana

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This follows damning reports of poor reading and spelling skills attributed to majority of basic school pupils in the Northern Region.

The Centre for Active Learning and Development (CALID), an NGO, lately revealed that 48.5% of basic school pupils in the Sagnarigu district of the Northern Region could neither read simple letter words or workout simple numeracy from grade 2 symbols.

The knock-on effect is poor performances at the levels of Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

Acting Director of the YEfL, Alhassan Abdul-Ganiyu at a round table discussion in Tamale on a year-long campaign dubbed, “One District; One Library: a catalyst for universal youth literacy,” asked government to implement the proposal.

According to him, the campaign was in line with the Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 6 which stipulates that “By 2030, all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy.”

“The goal of the campaign is to promote literacy and numeracy skills among the youth and to improve the educational outcomes in the region especially in the BECE and WASSCE.”

“The performances of students in these examinations are horrifying and consistently so for the past 8 years. We believe that the establishment of these libraries would help redirect the energies of the youth from cybercrime which has taken a toll on their lives to reading which would lead to increased performance in the BECE and WASSCE in the region.”

Northern Regional Director of the Ghana Library Authority, Aaron Kuwornu claimed truancy and laziness were major contributory factors to students’ abysmal performance.

He subscribed to the establishment of modern libraries across the region to overturn the situation.

The Director in charge of Planning and Monitoring at the Northern Regional Directorate of Education, Prince Askia Mohammed accused some school heads, parents and educational authorities of poor leadership.

“Huge investments have been made in the education sector over the years but still the quality is nothing to write home about.”

“Until there is a change in the behaviour of teachers, parents and authorities with regards to effective management of schools and strict supervision, the quest for quality education might take a long time to achieve”, he underscored.

The panel discussion brought together civil society organizations promoting quality education, the media and other stakeholders to interact with over 250 youth from the region.

The discussions proffered strategies required to improve access to quality education considering the consistent poor performances at the BECE and WASSCE levels.

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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Pupils of the school have been studying under trees and other precarious structures like shades made of palm fronds but the intervention of the NGO will bring a lot of relief to the school.

Pencils and Promise is currently constructing a five and six unit classroom blocks with auxiliary facilities for the school.

Speaking at the ground breaking ceremony to kickstart the commencement of the blocks, the headmaster, Mr Patrick Dotsey Ahiave said the new blocks would go a long way to improve academic work in the school.

He was also confident that the new structures when completed would now make the school one of the preferred choices for pupils and teachers who seldom patronize it.

Safe in mind that education is the surest way to defeat poverty, ignorance and inequality, the Country Director of Pencils of Promise, Mr Freeman Gobah said his outfit will continue to fund school projects in the country to enhance quality teaching and learning.

Torgbey Avadada Esu IV, Chief of Avekpordome also expressed his gratitude to Pencils of Promise for deeming it right to select the school for the project with regards to other surrounding community schools adding that the community as a whole will put in their best to see a successful completion of the project.

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By: King Norbert Akpablie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The campaign which was officially out-doored by the wife of Ghana’s vice President Samira Bawumia, was initiated in 2015 with the aim of reducing the mortality rate of children born pre-term.

Speaking at the event, the founder and chairman of the foundation, Kwame Sefa Kayi said his foundation has already bought and distributed four incubators to the Police Hospital, the La General Hospital, the Nsawam Government Hospital and the Prestea Government Hospital. According to him, although his foundation was embarking on an ambitious project that seems impossible, it was also going to work with a deadline.

“So far we have distributed four but we have eight more coming and there are areas that need it more urgently than others and the moment we get those eight we will just give it out. We are looking at giving one to the Koforidua Teaching Hospital, another to the Tamale Hospital, Lawra Hospital and Tetteh Quashie hospital because they need it badly. We have a team that goes out there to do a need assessment, we evaluate it and base on that do the donation. By Christmas this year, we will be done, if we get two more it’s good, if we get the hundred it’s okay but if we don’t we will still stop. Our reason is simple, sometimes when you stretch an appeal too much it becomes stale and that is not what we want.”

The founder also encouraged Ghanaians to be more given and supportive so as to help save more lives.

“When we started the campaign it was very tough, we got doors slam in our face, we had people who led us on for a very long time and eventually disappeared but we also had some very encouraging responses. We had people who bought incubators for us at a drop of a hat. We are not asking anyone who cannot afford a hundred thousand dollars to give it to us, and the least amount you can give is actually nothing, that is why we are setting up this raffle and a short code. You are charged Two Ghana Cedis and as you continue to donate you get to win something, like the ultimate prize which is a car.”

On his part, the Medical Superintendent at the Police Hospital, Dr Kofi Ablorh expressed gratitude to the foundation for the incubator donated to the facility.

According to Dr. Ablorh, pre-term cases were on the increase in Ghana and it was an issue of great concern.

He noted that more than 15 million babies were born prematurely globally with Ghana attracting over 100, 000 cases which meant a new born dying every one hour. He called on other agencies like the Ministry Of Health and the Ghana Health Service as well as other NGOs to join the course initiated by the Kokrokoo Charities Foundation to put an end to the senseless death of new born babies across the country.

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By: Felicia Osei/citifmonline.com/Ghana 

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Mr. Archibald Adams, Coordinator, Universal Access Healthcare Campaign (UAHCC), a local NGO, said the government  must remove all bottlenecks and ensure efficiency in the operations of the national health insurance scheme (NHIS).

He was speaking at the opening of a day’s capacity-building training workshop held for members of the organization in Kumasi.

The goal was to adequately equip them to lead the effort at getting more people registered for the NHIS.

Mr. Adams said the expectation was that the Akufo-Addo Administration would make good its election campaign promises on health – work hard to break down barriers to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-Three.

He underlined the need to expand health insurance enrolment to assure everybody of access to primary healthcare.

He noted that the present situation where under 50 per cent of the population had registered for the insurance and said the figure necessarily should grow.

It must not be lost on anybody that when the country’s basic healthcare system became strengthened, there would be drastic reduction in the outbreak of communicable diseases and other health problems, he added.

Dr. George Amofah, former Director of Public Health, Ghana Health Service (GHS), urged equitable distribution of resources to the facilities for their smooth running.

He said they should be supplied with the required equipment, kits and consumables to treat the sick and save lives.

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Source: GNA

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