Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia cut the sod for the construction of a two-story block to serve as the centre for training street children at the Sempe Cluster of Schools in Mamprobi in the Greater Accra Region.
The initiative forms part of efforts aimed at dealing with streetism in the capital. After the completion of the project, the facility will provide skills training for street children and marginalised teenagers in and around the Mamprobi enclave.
The project is being facilitated by Reverend Andrew Campbell, the founder of the Mother Theresa Soup Kitchen Foundation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II Foundation, which would provide skills training for the teenagers.
Aside from this project, there are plans to construct a training centre at Adenta, where residential facilities will also be provided for the teenagers.
Speaking at the ceremony at the Sempe Cluster of Schools, Dr. Bawumia said: “This is in line with the government’s policy on children and social protection, where major interventions have been made under our administration.
“We hope to do even more next year when I form a new government,” the vice president said.
“We can help everyone out of poverty and other challenging situations by taking up a project like what Father Campbell did when he arrived in Ghana in 1971.
He also pledged the support of the government to facilitate the provisions of the Foundation and, thus, lauded Father Campbell for representing the downtrodden in society.
“We, therefore, cannot let him down on this mission,” Dr. Bawumia added.
“We can also notably mention Christ the King Soup Kitchen as a bold move to end “streetism” in Ghana. When this project takes off, Mother Theresa Soup Kitchen will be the biggest action by a private individual and an NGO against the menace of street children in Ghana,” the Vice President stated.
“I am not surprised that the Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, has the same vision as Father Campbell and myself.
“We saw the need to help the less privileged, and with our collaborative effort, this is what we are producing by the grace of God and the support of Nii Ga,” Dr. Bawumia added.
“I assure you that the ongoing GetFund projects will be expedited and completed. The security concerns bordering on access to the school and project site will be dealt with by the construction of a fence wall around the entire enclave.
On his part, Rev. Father Campbell, the founder of Mother Theresa Soup Kitchen, extended gratitude to parishioners of Christ the King Catholic Church for their support over the years for the soup kitchen project.
He said that after leaving Christ the King three years ago, he had a vision of starting another soup kitchen in honour of Mother Teresa and added that with the cutting of the sod, the vision was being realised.
Rev. Fr. Campbell, using his own life story as an example, urged all street children to leave the streets for the benefit of others, stating that they could pursue their dreams with support.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana