By Dennis Peprah
Sunyani, Jan. 11, GNA – The Sunyani-based Global Media Foundation (GloMeF) says it has upscaled national campaign on anti-rabies, engaging 1.9 million cats and dog owners in Ashanti, Bono East, Western and Greater Accra Regions.
Additionally, the foundation said it had also trained and empowered 1,000 stakeholders in the education sector, including teachers and School Health Education Programme (SHEP) coordinators on rabies education.
Mr Raphael Godlove Ahenu, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the GloMeF, a human rights and media advocacy Non-governmental organisation, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani pledged the readiness and commitment of the NGO do more to stem the surging cases of rabies in the four regions in 2025.
At the District levels, he indicated that his foundation had also engaged and empowered Community Communication Risk Management Committees in 56 Districts throughout the four regions on rabies control.
He advised owners of domestic animals, particularly cats and dogs, to vaccinate their pets, and entreated the beneficiary teachers and SHEP coordinators to help intensify the campaign in schools and communities too.
On the implementation of its “Community Integration and System Strengthening Project” under the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), Mr Ahenu said the foundation had trained 50 community people, including 40 infected persons of yaws, leprosy and elephantiasis in soap making.
He added that the foundation had also provided start-up capital of GHC1,800 and other materials to each of the infected persons to start their own businesses, and urged the public to desist from the unacceptable practices of stigmatizing and discriminating against the infected persons.
Mr Ahenu said the foundation had also established rehabilitation centers for NTDs at Tain District and Sunyani West Municipality in Bono as well as Asunafo North Municipality in the Ahafo region.
The foundation is also putting up two standard toilet facilities at Debibi and Odumase to tackle the poor sanitation in those communities, saying research showed that poor sanitation remained a key contributory factor to the spread of the skin NTDs.
Mr Ahenu said the GloMeF had already held its Board Meeting to assess the foundation’s impacts in 2024, and potential in 2025, promising to undertake innovative projects that would bring remarkable transformation in the local communities.
Mrs Elima Bawa, the Board Chair of GloMeF, commended the management and staff, and funders, saying with their commitment the foundation was able to make a huge impact in 2024.
Describing the foundation prospects in 2025 as progressive, she asked the Board, management and the staffs of the foundation to remain innovative build and strengthen collaborations and networks to make impact in the year and thereby alleviate the plight of vulnerable communities and people.
GNA