PAYNESVILLE- As part of Ghana’s 67th Independence Day celebration on March 6, Ghanaians living in Liberia over the weekend donated several items to underprivileged Liberian children of the Rescue for Abandoned and Children in Hardship (REACH) in Paynesville.
By Francis G. Boayue
The items, including reading books, bags of rice, cooking oil, made-in-Ghana chocolate, liquid soaps, sweets, footballs, onions and others, were donated to the Rescue for Abandoned and Children in Hardship (REACH), which is run by Madam Nesuah Beyan Livingston in Nickley Town Community, Jacob Town.
The ECOWAS Ambassador to Liberia, H.E. Madam Josephine Nkrumah, who is also a Ghanaian, speaking at the program, expressed joy and oneness of Africa to be a part of such a program putting smiles on the faces of Liberian children and as well inspiring them as the future leaders of Africa.
She said it is fulfilling that a little gesture, that we stretch our hands over, can make an impact in the lives of deprived children in the communities.
Madam Nkrumah urged the kids: “Today, I have the pleasure of speaking to them about being contributing citizens no matter how young they are, we always need to start teaching kids the essence of keeping the community clean, sowing in them seeds of leadership where they can take on certain roles irrespective of their ages.
“Just by saying to someone please don’t throw garbage here, with every child growing up that way, we will have a clean and green community and these are some of the messages we need to normalize in the kids that will serve as a seed of active citizenship through more engaging moments with these kids,” Madam Nkrumah asserted.
Madam Nkrumah also lauded the Ghanaian community and professionals’ network which was founded on November 29, 2019, to gather Ghanaian professionals residing in Liberia through charity action to give to Liberia as one Africa for their support over the last five years to humanity mainly the facility of REACH which they have been supporting for the last five years.
Also speaking, Madam Livingstone, who is the founder and Executive Director of REACH, expressed special thanks to the ECOWAS Ambassador and the entire Ghanaian citizens for such a huge donation, which will be used for its intended purpose to build the capacity and feed the less fortunate children of Liberia
For his part, Mr. Eric Ellington Agyedenah, the originator and also the dream bearer of the donation, said his interest in catering for the wellbeing of children is backed by his passion for children and expressed excitement about having the ECOWAS Ambassador in attendance and reading some of the story’s books donated to the kids.