By Hafsa Obeng, GNA
Accra, June 19, GNA – As part of the activities to commemorate World Refugees Day 2024, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR) and the Ghana Refugees Board (GRB) have organised a clean-up exercise and free health screening.
The exercise is to create awareness and highlight the resilience and positive contributions of refugees to their host communities.
Mr Stephen Amoani, Protection Officer, GRB, said by engaging in community service, it was a demonstration by the refugees on their willingness to give and integrate into their new environments.
It is part of the “Refugees Giving Back”.
The clean-up exercise, which started from the Kwame Nkrumah Overhead through the Ring Road of Accra, was under the theme “Solidarity with Refugees”.
Aside the refugees giving back to the society, Mr Amoani indicated that the exercise also created an awareness that refugees were not a burden to the host community, adding that they helped building the country.
He appealed to the public to desist from discriminating against refugees saying, “they are humans like us…”
According to him some of them were medical doctors, dentists, farmers, and other professionals working to develop Ghana.
Mr David Oppong, Protection Officer, UNHCR, said: “This year, we are trying to showcase refugees as assets to Ghana’s development and their contribution to Ghana’s economy.”
Highlighting the health screening, he indicated that Mamobi and Nima environs were selected for the exercise because they were playing host to some refugees.
Residents were screened for Malaria, Blood pressure, Sugar level, Hypertension, among others and drugs were also administered.
Mr Oppong commended the government for including refugees under the National Health Insurance Scheme.
“Ghana is also doing its best in terms of its obligations to the 51 UN Convention because Ghana is a party to the convention so by way of allowing refugees access to the National Service System is a way of responding to their obligations as a member state to the 51 conventions,” he added.
Mr Gamaradeen Khatir Ayoub, Sudanese and Zone ‘2’ Leader for the refugees lauded the government for its support and for accepting them into the country.
He said: “We are all one and as humans it is important to participate in activities geared at developing the communities in which we find ourselves for the betterment of the nation.”
GNA