Tema, Aug. 23, GNA – Thirty-two youth have graduated with skills in vocational and technical knowledge acquired from manpower development initiated through Life International Church, Faith Chapel at Tema Community five.
The beneficiaries consisted of 18 males and 15 females; with 15 trained in vocational and apprenticeship while the rest acquired skills at the tertiary level of education in various tertiary institutions in the country.
The compassion manpower development programme was organized by Life International Church in collaboration with Compassion International Ghana, which seeks to support the vulnerable in society.
Compassion International, is a child-centered organization that believes in holistic development of children, from poor and needy homes with empowerment in developmental, vocational, technical, as well as sponsoring the brilliant ones among to seek for high academic qualification.
Madam Tawiah Agyarko-Koranteng, from the Achimota branch of Life International Church, explained that a research conducted by UNICEF revealed that 27 per cent of children who live separately from their families were exposed to harmful practices.
She added in Ghana, 43 per cent, of children who live separately from families were verbally abused, a situation that impeded the developmental confidence of child adding that 60 per cent of the children were also sexually abused according to the research.
Madam Agyarko-Koranteng said the breakdown in the Ghanaian family module of child development had contributed to the increase in neglect of children who turn to end up on the streets.
She charged parents to love and protect their children.
Pastor Richard Tetteh, Project Director of Compassion at the Life International Church, Faith Chapel, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Tema on the sidelines of the graduation ceremony, said about 260 persons had benefitted since the inception of the programme organized by the church of which many were working.
The Project Director said the participants were also taking through courses including; socio- emotional, physical and cognitive every Saturday over the years to empower them in all spheres to face the world.
Some of the beneficiaries expressed their gratitude to the church and Compassion International for putting in place interventions to cater for the less privileged in society.
“I’m very happy to be a beneficiary of this project, I lost my parents at an early age, my brother and were living with our grandmother who was unemployed, things were difficult so when we heard about this opportunity.
“I decided to give it a try, I was eight years, now here I am in my final year at the University of Cape Coast studying Hospitality Management, the initiative has been a blessing” Ms Sekinatu Somalia told the Ghana News Agency.
GNA