By Philip Tengzu
Wa, (UW/R), Aug. 01 GNA – The Rotary Club of Wa has invested a total of GH₵2,500,676.53 in its intervention projects within the 2023/2024 Rotary Year, which has impacted about 250,000 lives in the Upper West and Savanna Regions.
The interventions were in the areas of Water and Sanitation, health, education, literacy, and women empowerment among others under the Rotary International (RI) theme of creating hope in the world.
Mr Alhassan Inusah Agambire, the immediate Past President of the Rotary Club of Wa, announced this during a handover and fundraising ceremony of the Club.
He said 16 projects were initiated within the year with support from local and international partners out of which 13 projects had been completed with the remaining three still in progress.
The projects involved the unveiling the Rotary Polio signage at the Wa Airport, donation of medical consumables and food items to the Wa Central Prison, free health screening for the prison inmates and donation of desktop computers to Eremon Senior High Technical School in the Upper West Region.
Others were the provision of a WASH facility for Nakwabi Orphanage in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District and USD100,000.00 worth of school and WASH projects in Bole Senior High and Kurabaso D/A Primary Schools in Bole, Savanna Region in partnership with Rotary Club of San Jose, California, USA of District 5170.
The Club also implemented other projects in partnership with the Rotary Clubs of Akosombo, Accra Industrial and Ho.
“It is exciting to state that since the inception of the Club, the year of hope recorded the highest number of projects implemented with high impacts in the spirit of creating hope in our communities,” Mr Agambire said.
He commended members of the Club for living the “service above self” commitment they had pledged, which had led to the accomplishment of that milestone.
He said the fundraising was to support the Club’s initiative to construct a modern kitchen for the Wa Methodist School for the Blind to help ensure food is prepared in a hygienic environment for the less privileged school children.
The school currently relied on a shredded and indecent structure as its kitchen, which had exposed the over 200 children in that school to foodborne diseases.
He said as part of the kitchen project, the Club would also donate food items and utensils to the school to enhance the proper feeding of the school children.
Mr Agambire stated that the Club, under his watch within the 2023/2024 Rotary Year, increased its membership by inducting five new members and achieved two new Paul Harris Fellows (PHFs) and a PHFs +1 within the period.
Again, the Club, in partnership with Rotaract Club of Wa the SDD University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (SDD-UBIDS), charted the Interact Club of St. Francis Xavier Minor Seminary, the first of its kind in the Upper West Region.
He said plans were underway to charter a Rotaract Club in the Dr Hilla Limann Technical University while more interact clubs had been earmarked to be established in the 2024/2025 Rotary Year.
The immediate Past President Agambire, commended the Ghana News Agency (GNA) for its dedication and commitment to supporting the Club in its project implementation through contributing to enhancing its public image.
Dr Zakarea Al-Hassan Balure, the President of the Rotary Club of Wa, expressed hope that the Club would achieve greater heights under his watch.
He encouraged all Club Directors, Committee Chairpersons, and members to work hard towards achieving the set targets and goals of the club in the 2024/2025 Rotary Year.
“Our goal as stated by our District Governor, Rotarian Florence Maame Hagan, is to make a lasting impact in our community and beyond, through meaningful action and collaboration,” he explained.
He announced that the Club would operate under the RI theme: “The Magic of Rotary” for the 2024/2025 Rotary Year to address critical issues in the Club’s operational areas – water and sanitation, maternal and child health, environmental sustainability, education, peace and conflict resolution, economic and community development and literacy and youth development.
The Past Assistant Governor Rudolph Kantum Adagiba, commended Mr Agambire for the successes chalked within his reign and encouraged Dr Balure and his team to build on the achievement of the past executives to enable them to achieve their set targets.
Some members of the Club were recognised for their diverse contributions to the growth of the Club with Mr Jonathan Kwofie, receiving the “Most Outstanding Rotarian Award.”
Mr Kwofie, the Club’s Service Project Director is now President-Elect for the Rotary Club of Wa to succeed Dr Balure.
GNA