Women in Health spends Easter with children’s home

Messages of hope, forgiveness, love, restoration and restitution are preached during Easter to mark the celebration of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

It is also a period for the demonstration of love and compassion, forgiveness and reconciliation; and in that spirit, Women in Health, an organisation that draws its membership from female staff of the Ministry of Health and health agencies in the private sector, as well as people who are passionate about health services, celebrated the Easter Monday with some children from the Osu Children’s Home in Accra.

The celebration, dubbed “Feeding the Needy”, offered the organisation the opportunity to educate the children and encourage them to lead responsible lives to mature as responsible adults in the future.

Encouragement

In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the Founder of Women in Health, who is also the Chief Director at the Ministry of Health, Dr Afisah Zakariah, said there was the need to encourage the children and support them to fight for a great future, and not to disparage them.

“We are a family and we thought it wise to share our experiences with them. Not everybody who has reached a certain position in life came from a great home, some of us had humble beginnings and we think that by motivating them, they will see life as something very bright so that they can aim high and get there,” she stated.

She gave the assurance that the group would continue to reach out to children, as well as the general public, especially with health care. 

“We will sit together as a group and look at health issues; we are very passionate about children and maternal health care. We will also look at how we can transform the health sector. 

“We want to see a great health sector for this country, so that all Ghanaians can benefit from it. We started with the Korle Bu Children’s Block and today we are here to celebrate with them to share our love with them,” she added.

Mentoring

The ceremony, which took place at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra, brought on board a lawyer who once lived in an orphanage although his parents were alive at the time, to share his life experience with the children in order to inspire them.

A lawyer at the F-X Law & Associates, Mr Francis-Xavier Sosu, who shared his life experience with the children, motivated them to be disciplined and be responsible adults in future. 

According to him, although his parents were alive, his education was rough due to circumstances around his family background, but as determined as he was, he never gave up in life.

“Although I was mocked at nursery school because of my age, I did not give up. It is important to learn the lessons of life when you know where you are going to,” he said.

He encouraged the children to utilise the opportunity given to them by being at the children’s home, pointing out that though he was a street boy, he still made education a priority, despite the difficulties. 

“There are millions of children out there who are perishing on the streets, therefore, it is a privilege to belong to such a home. Once you are here, make good use of the opportunity and come out with your best,” he advised.

Education

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Isabella Health Care Services, who is also a registered nurse, Mrs Naana Akyaa Asante, urged the children to take their education seriously and encouraged them to have self-confidence, believe in themselves and pursue higher dreams. 

“There is nothing you can do without education, even if you want to stand on the street and sell, at some point you would have to dream big and you have to grow it up. 

“If you are not educated, how are you going to do it, if you have a child and he or she brings homework how will you help him or her, therefore, it is very important to focus on your education,” she pointed out.

Appreciation

The Manageress of the Osu Children’s Home, Madam Christiana Addo, expressed gratitude on behalf of the inmates to the Women in Health.

“We want to say a big thanks to Women in Health, we are pleased as a home to be part of this programme, and we appreciate the initiative,” she said.

Madam Addo further appealed to corporate bodies, as well as concerned individuals to help the matured inmates at the home to acquire jobs and also resettle in homes outside the organisation.

Messages of hope, forgiveness, love, restoration and restitution are preached during Easter to mark the celebration of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

It is also a period for the demonstration of love and compassion, forgiveness and reconciliation; and in that spirit, Women in Health, an organisation that draws its membership from female staff of the Ministry of Health and health agencies in the private sector, as well as people who are passionate about health services, celebrated the Easter Monday with some children from the Osu Children’s Home in Accra.

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