Compassion International To The Rescue

Compassion International Ghana has commissioned a six-classroom block with toilet and sanitary facilities for children of the Restoration Assemblies of God Child Development Centre at Breman Jamra in the Central Region.

Besides the classroom, Compassion also donated a 12-seater toilet facility to the community as part of its promotion of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme.

Compassion undertook to construct the toilet for the community because the dilapidated community toilet, which was located close to the child development centre, posed a serious health threat to the children.

The kitchen of the centre was also close to the toilet to an extent that flies could easily transmit diseases to the food.

In addition to reducing the health threat, the other objective was to reduce lesson disruption and improve the learning and teaching environment at the centre which provides holistic child development to 250 poor and needy children.

The classrooms and toilet facilities are the second fully-funded project under Compassion's complementary interventions (CIV) through which church partners benefit from infrastructural development, skills training, income generating activities and major health interventions for the children.

The first project was a 34-seater fully furnished computer resource centre for the children in a bid to bridge the digital divide.

In all, the classroom and toilet projects cost $61,821 (GH¢122,623.42).

During the commissioning on February 28, 2015, an obviously elated Rev Efiinu Kwaku Obiako, pastor of the church said, 'With the new classroom block, lessons will no longer be disrupted by social events such as funerals and durbars. The children now have classrooms for learning and have been given the opportunity to sit in a descent classroom.'

The Country Director of Compassion International Ghana, Padmore Baffour Agyapong, who led a delegation to the commissioning, underscored the fact that Compassion International made the right strategic move to partner with the church, given the church's prominence and stability in the community.

He said the classroom block is not the first project and would not be the last for children because Compassion believes that children are the future hope for the community.

Mr Agyapong also challenged the community to ensure that the classes are fully utilised, in apparent reference to the habit of some parents asking their children to go to the farm when they have to be in the classroom.

The chief of Jamra, Nana Kwao Fosu III, on behalf of the community expressed gratitude to Compassion International Ghana and the church for their strategic partnership, which has brought hope to poor and needy children in Breman Jamra.

He said the intervention of Compassion International Ghana was a classic example of the spirit of corporate social responsibility which is worthy of emulation.