ADRA, USAID supports prison camp woodlot fuel project

Gomoa Osamkrom (C/R) July 3 GNA - The Adventist Development And Relief Agency (ADRA), Ghana with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on Friday supplied 1000 cassia tree seedlings to the Gomoa Osamkrom Prison Camp to establish woodlot for fuel wood.

Mr. Isaac Kankam-Boadu, Winneba Area Field Officer of ADRA, who presented the seedlings to the Prison authorities, said his outfit decided to support the camp as part its humanitarian service to society. He said, the woodlot, apart from helping the camp to meet its fuel wood needs, would also help to conserve the natural forest when the camp had stopped depending on it for their requirements. According to Mr. Kankam-Boadu the establishment of the woodlot would also help the camp to save monies that would have been spent on charcoal or firewood.

The establishment of the woodlot would also help the inmates to cultivate the habit and know the importance of tree planting to conserve natural forest as part of their rehabilitation process, he said. Mr. Kankam-Boadu said that ADRA became interested in the camp's request for the project because of its (project) potential economic, environmental and social benefits to the camp and the nation and therefore promised to monitor its progress to ensure the realization of its objectives. He appealed to individuals and organized institutions to establish woodlots to meet their fuel wood requirements to ease pressure on the natural forest.

Mr. Ben Gwira-Ampratwum, Deputy Superintendent of Prison In-Charge of the Camp, who received the seedlings thanked ADRA Ghana-USAID for their kind gesture. He said the Camp, since its establishment in 1974 has been spending huge sums of money on fuel wood to prepare food for the inmates and has, in this regard thought it wise to establish its own woodlot to reduce expenditure on firewood. Later, some ADRA technical officers assisted the Prison authorities to plant some of the seedlings and also gave them technical advice on how to manage them.