By Samira Larbie, GNA
Accra, Oct. 26, GNA – A Ghanaian restaurant, known as Ayewamu by Jane, specialising traditional cuisine, has donated GH¢150,000 to settle outstanding maternity bills for about 40 mothers and their babies.
The donation was made to the Achimota Hospital and the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge) as part of activities marking its seventh anniversary.
The initiative, dubbed: “Ayewamu Cares,” seeks to support mothers who are unable to leave hospital after childbirth because they cannot settle their medical bills.
Some of the beneficiaries had reportedly been medically discharged for weeks but remained at the facilities due to financial constraints.
In addition to settling the bills, the restaurant donated five office chairs and three nebulisers to the Ridge Hospital to support healthcare delivery at the maternity wards.
A nebuliser is a medical device that converts liquid medication into a fine mist for inhalation into the lungs.
Mrs Lady Nyarko, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ayewamu by Jane, said the initiative was inspired by her experience as a mother and her desire to ease the burden on families facing financial difficulties after childbirth.
“As a mother, I know the joy of welcoming a child and the excitement of finally bringing your baby home. To be ready for that moment and have financial hardship stand in the way is heartbreaking. No mother should have to face that pain alone,” she said.
Mrs Nyarko said the donation was made possible by the support and loyalty of the restaurant’s customers over the past seven years.
She said the anniversary provided an opportunity for the business to give back to society by offering relief to mothers, hope to families and helping newborns return home with their parents.
“For us, this anniversary is an opportunity to give a mother a relief, a family hope, and a baby a welcome home,” she said.
Mrs Nyarko also called for increased public education on family planning to promote maternal health and reduce the risk of pregnancy-related complications.
At the Achimota Hospital, Ms Mabel Osei-Owusu, Officer in Charge of the Maternity Lying-in Ward, expressed gratitude to the restaurant for the support, particularly for assisting a mother who had delivered three days earlier but had received no support from her relatives.
She said the mother had been left without family assistance, including food and other necessities, prompting the ward staff to provide her with meals and essential items for her baby.
Ms Osei-Owusu said the intervention by Ayewamu by Jane had brought relief to the mother and the ward staff, who had been seeking assistance for her.
She thanked the restaurant for its generosity and appealed for continued support for vulnerable mothers.
At the Ridge Hospital, Ms Emma Nyacsikor, a Senior Midwifery Officer at the Labour Ward, also expressed appreciation for the donation of the five office chairs and three nebulisers.
She said the items would improve working conditions for staff and enhance the quality of care provided to mothers and other patients.
Ms Nyacsikor said the donation formed part of the restaurant’s seventh-anniversary activities and commended its management for extending support to healthcare facilities.
Two beneficiaries, Madam Linda Asare and Madam Dorcas Baafor, also expressed appreciation to Ayewamu by Jane for helping to ease their financial burden.
Madam Asare, who was visibly emotional, shed tears of joy as she thanked the restaurant for the assistance after a prolonged stay at the hospital.
Madam Baafor also commended the restaurant for the gesture, saying the support had brought relief to the beneficiaries and their families.
The restaurant, known for its traditional Ghanaian dishes, said the initiative reflected its commitment to sharing the goodwill and support it had received from customers with vulnerable members of society.
The “Ayewamu Cares” initiative forms part of the restaurant’s efforts to give back to the community and support mothers and newborns facing financial difficulties.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe