Maria dines with inmates of mental home, donates to foundation on birthday

Maria Johana Yuorpor, an entrepreneur and philanthropist, celebrated her birthday by holding a breakfast feast for intellectually-disabled residents at the Bahass Foundation, a mental home and rehabilitation centre in Wa in the Upper West Region.

The feast, held on the morning of Wednesday, February 5, 2025, featured a buffet of assorted foods and beverages served to the inmates.

In addition to the meal, Maria Johana donated essential items including ten gallons of liquid soap, one-and-a-half boxes of sanitary pads, a box of bathing soap, a box of washing soap, packs of toothbrushes and toothpaste, packs of toilet rolls, and several ablution cans, to the foundation.

Madam Maria Johana, CEO of Mara Foods and Mara Closets, stated that the feast and donation were acts of gratitude to God for the gift of life and a means to inspire society to care for the mentally disabled and other vulnerable groups.

“On this occasion of my birthday and additional year, I want to take good care of my mental health and doing so, I find it expedient to visit our friends in the mental home here to feast with them and get them some essential items to make them happy and feel valued.

“Besides that there are a lot of things we can do to support others in society but people may have not thought about doing it until they see someone does it. I mean these are little things we should to be going, not to show off, but to show humanity to each other,” she said.

On his part, Mr. Yussif Eliasu Baba, the Founder and Director of the Bahass Foundation, expressed deep appreciation for Maria Johana's generous gesture and described it as thoughtful.

“Our first gratitude is about her thoughtfulness. People celebrate birthdays in many ways but for her to think about these people in the first place, we are highly elated,” he said.

He urged the wider public to emulate her example, noting that the donated items would help the foundation save resources for other vital activities.

“We are very grateful. What I would have used to feed them this morning, in the after and in the evening, buy their clothing, soaps, sanitary pads, and more, we would be able to save that money for other things, and so we are very happy,” he remarked.

Over the years, Maria Johana has marked her birthday with similar acts of kindness, including donations to orphanages, hospitals, and schools, hosting feasts with widows, conducting trainings for rural women, and mentoring young people.