By Hafsa Obeng
Accra, Sept. 15, GNA – Madam Jennifer Jones, the Rotary International (RI) President, has charged community and opinion leaders to work towards creating lasting changes in the lives of people and communities.
She said working in the interest of the people and communities was what would bring about rapid development.
Madam Jones said this when she commissioned some projects by the Rotary Club of Accra-Airport, and Rotary Club of Accra- East, in the Greater Accra Region, during her working visit to Ghana.
The visit was primarily to raise public awareness and understanding of Rotary and highlight the impact on relevant local and global issues Rotarians around the world help to deal with.
The projects she commissioned included the renovated Children’s Ward of the 37 Military Hospital, the Kokrobite Health Center Staff Quarters, launch of the RI District 9102 Green Project at Weija, and the Malaria Eradication Project, among others.
She said RI was a humanitarian service organisation, which brought together business and professional leaders to provide community service, promote integrity and advance goodwill, peace and understanding in the world, and that, that was exactly what the projects were to achieve.
Madam Jones commended all the Clubs for their efforts at bringing change and development to their communities, saying “your effort is not to only change lives, but also to save lives, and I am excited that you have brought dignity and hope to your people.”
The RI President noted that the most important thing was the collaboration between the Clubs and the facilities and urged them to ensure that those relationships lasted forever.
The renovation of the Kokrobite Health Center Staff Quarters by the Rotary Club of Accra- East, Rotary Club of Oakland Uptown (USA) and supported by the Rotary Satellite Club of Accra-East McCarthy Hill, comprised of the re-roofing and changing the ceiling, replacement of doors, windows, and louvers, re-wiring, replacing the plumbing lines, tiling the space, and repainting of the building
Through the efforts of PRID Brad Howard, the leader of the Rotarian group from USA, a Global Grant was cumulated between the Rotary Club of Accra-East and the Rotary Club of Oakland Uptown and many Rotary Clubs in District 5170.
The RI District 9102 Green Project launched by the RI President at the Weija catchment area was a collaboration between the District and Ghana’s Forestry Commission under the ‘Greening Ghana initiative’ and Ghana Water Company to plant at least 1,000 trees around the Weija dam area to kick start the district project to plant at least 3,000 trees in the district.
The planting of over 1000 trees at the dam site was aimed at increasing the vegetative cover to protect the dam from drying up, check erosion to prevent polluted water and sand from entering the dam that could lead to increase in the cost production of water.
The RI has introduced the seventh focus area to support the environment to save the world from destruction and preserve it for the next generation in response to the global environmental challenges due to uncontrollable human challenges.
The commissioned renovated 37 Military Hospital Children’s Ward comprised of the re-roofed and refurbished Children’s medical and surgical wards, provision of a children’s library and play area with books and toys, a mothers’ waiting and resting area, painting the wards with bright colors, and the provision of television sets, among others.
GNA