By Gilbert Azeem Tiroog
Dapoore (UER), Nov. 02, GNA – The Widows and Orphans Movement (WOM), a gender-focused Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) with support from ActionAid Ghana, has donated 800 exercise books and pens to orphans in four schools of the Nabdam and Talensi Districts in the Upper East Region.
A total of 200 orphaned pupils from the primary and Junior High Schools (JHS) of Dapoore and Kulpeliga in the Talensi District as well as Kotintabig and Nyogbare in the Nabdam District, benefited from the support, with each receiving four exercise books and a pen.
The stationery would help facilitate the studies of the underprivileged pupils and foster a sense of community and hope among the beneficiaries.
Ms Nancy Awinbisa Amiziah, the Project Officer at WOM, while presenting the learning materials, said one of the organisation’s thematic areas was education, where it provided logistics to support orphaned children to go to school and train drop-out orphans in various trades.
She emphasised that as an organisation working in the interest of the less privileged and marginalised in society, there was the need to support the pupils in the little way it could, to not only facilitate their academic work but also uplift their spirits and morale to study hard for the realisation of their dreams.
Master Benjamin Alibo, a beneficiary at the Dapoore Junior School, said the donation of the books would enable him to have each book for a subject.
“I don’t have enough books, so sometimes I combine the notes of two subjects in one book, but now that I have gotten four books in addition, I will now assign each subject to a book and this will make my note easily accessible,” he stated.
Miss Joyce Nyaaba, a pupil at the Kulpeliga primary, while beaming with smiles for the books received, said she would have separate books for class exercise and for taking notes on the various subjects.
Mr Joseph Anyoka, the Headmaster of the Kulpeliga JHS, said the gesture by the organisation, which included a career day activity, was the first of its kind and had not only motivated the students but also parents on the need for them to educate their wards regardless of the struggle.
Madam Fatima Luqman, the Headmistress of the Dapoore JHS, said some of the challenges confronting academic work in the school included learning materials such as books and furniture, and the donation of the books would help improve academic activities.
She, however, called on the government and non-governmental organisations to support the school with furniture, emphasising that some of the students were sitting on cement blocks.
GNA