Ghana: Compassion International Making Huge Impact on Tourism - Joyce Aryee

Jul 29, 2010

By www.ghanaweb.com/public_agenda

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Ms Joyce Aryee has observed that Compassion International Ghana is making a huge impact on the tourism industry since scores of sponsors of the project take time off their work and fly to Ghana to visit the children registered for the programme and also assess the practical impact of their sponsorship on the children.

Speaking at a ceremony to climax the fifth anniversary celebration of Compassion International Ghana, in Accra, Ms. Aryee said many of these sponsors have visited for as many as three times and anytime they visit, they come with family gifts that have rekindled hope for those underprivileged children and their parents.

"I hope that the Ministry of Tourism will take note of this and accord Compassion International Ghana her right place in the development of tourism in Ghana".

She noted that Compassion International Ghana has said has invested over GHc 20,000,000 into its programmes and activities and believes that the amount has contributed in no small measure to the country's the Gross Domestic Product [GDP]. She therefore, urged the leadership of Compassion International Ghana to notify the government of any obstacles that have the potential to obstruct their work.

Outlining the organisation's achievements within its six years of operating in Ghana, Ms. Aryee disclosed that Compassion International Ghana has sponsored seven children with heart defects to undergo heart surgeries and three of these children with congenital malformations have had major surgeries to correct their conditions.

"Over 16,800 insecticide treated bed nets have been provided to children and their families. Boreholes and water tanks have been provided for eight church partners in eight communities. Other facilities such as playgrounds, classroom block, sanitary toilets, kitchen and resource centers with computers have also been provided to the partner churches to enable them to provide holistic child development programmes for the registered children."

In her presentation, the Country Director of Compassion Ghana, Rev. Mrs. Jemima Amanor, laid emphasis on the Child Development through Sponsorship Programme (CDSP) which the organization is currently implementing. Under the CDSP, she explained, children are connected to Christian sponsors across the world that are committed to helping the children develop their God-given talents, as well as helping them to break away from the general chain of poverty.

According to her, the CDSP seeks to help the child demonstrate commitment to the Lordship of Christ, choose good healthy practices and be physically healthy. "It further seeks to exhibit the motivation and skills to be economically self supporting and also interact with other people in a healthy and compassionate manner," she added.

She further disclosed the Ghana Office will soon commence the Child Survival Programme (CSP) which targets children from conception to delivery. "Child survival focuses on children under three years who are vulnerable to preventable diseases such as malaria, pneumonia, water-borne diseases and complications caused by malnutrition. This programme is designed to help children survive and even thrive in the in the first critical years of infancy," she explains.

"Like the CDSP, Compassion International Ghana will work with church partners to provide nutrition, medical assistance, parent education, spiritual development opportunities and social support for mothers and caregivers to help the vulnerable children to survive."

Rev. Dr. Fred Degbe, General Secretary of the Christian Council of Churches, advised Ghanaians to stop spending lavishly on funerals and put efforts in investing in the lives of the needy. He also urged Ghanaians to be more compassionate of the underprivileged in society.

Compassion International is a non-profit organization that exists as a Christian Child development ministry. It works with partnership with Evangelical Churches in 28 field office countries to help the underprivileged children and their families to improve their status through holistic child development programmes. It currently supports 24,000 poor and needy children spiritually, cognitively and economically.

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