By Hafsa Obeng
Accra, Jan. 27, GNA – The Republic Bank has presented 50 life jackets to the Weija Gbawe Municipal Assembly to be presented to the people of Faanaa, a local island community.
The donation comes after nine students travelling on boats from school drowned at Faanaa in May last year.
Madam Claudia Koranteng, Corporate Affairs Manager, Republic Bank, who led the team from the Bank to present the items, said the incident was an unfortunate one which could have been avoided, so they thought it wise to reach out to the Assembly and help in whichever way that they could.
She said “As an institution, we are signed on to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and one of our goals is good health and well-being of the people in the communities in which we serve. And as the municipality is within our reach, it was ideal to contact the Assembly and find out how best to help.”
Madam Koranteng noted that they were informed that 25 students travelled to and from school daily on the boat, hence their decision to present 50 of the life jackets to enable them to go to school freely.
She noted that “we know that this is not a solution to the problem, but this is the beginning of a formidable relationship with them, and we assure that we will be back to support in any way that we can.”
“We are a bank that has the power to make a difference and we are determined to do that. So as part of our SDG goals we want to reach out to the students, with this support.”
Mr Charles Odoom Municipal Director of Education, Weija Gbawe, receiving the jackets on behalf of the Assembly, expressed appreciation to the Bank for the presentation, saying it would go a long way to help the students.
“We are grateful for these jackets because they will help sustain life, and improve school attendance as well as teaching and learning, and we assure that we will submit them to the community for its intended purpose.”
On May 11, 2023, nine school children of Faanaa, a suburb of Bortianor in the Greater Accra Region drowned when the boat on which they were travelling across an estuary capsized. Three persons survived.
GNA