Editorial
Caring for underprivileged in our society is necessary
It is not everyone in society who will be born into families that are highly educated, rich or very knowledgeable; this is why we need to develop love and care for all people that we come in contact with in our society.
Under-privileged persons in our society include those who come from less educated families or the poor or those who have problems such as being physically challenged. Such people may find it difficult to go about their normal duties in society because of lack of financial resources or inadequate education or, better still, their inability to go about their duties with ease.
In such situations they need our sympathy and assistance to make it possible for them to go about their normal duties in society. Those who find ourselves in very good positions should count ourselves lucky and be willing to assist the underprivileged.
We must never discriminate against them or look down on them simply because of their poverty level or low level of education. Again, others may be involved in motor accidents and, therefore, become paralysed or physically challenged one way or the other.
In situations like this, we must show great love to such people and be prepared to spend part of our personal resources to make it possible for them to enjoy normal life.
We may not be able to bring them into the normal situation which God may have planned for them, but the little we do can make it possible for their lives to be better.
It is in light of this that we find it gratifying to see certain leaders in this country contributing massively to the underprivileged in our society. The Vice President of the Republic, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, is often seen to be sharing his life and personal resources to some of these underprivileged persons.
His association with people suffering from leprosy, for example, is well known in this country. Also, his commitment to the poor irrespective of religious beliefs has touched the heart of many people across the country. The Vice President has called on Ghanaians to show care and concern to the underprivileged in society.
If we all emulate him, it will go a long way to make it possible for us to put smiles on the faces of those who have very little to eat and drink in the country. In addition, caring for them, including those admitted to our hospitals, will make life better for our unfortunate brothers and sisters who may find themselves in such unfortunate situations.
We pray that people who are leading the light in this way receive abundant blessings from God for the good work they are doing.
Let us count ourselves very fortunate and be prepared to help the underprivileged in society so that life can be made better for many of our brothers and sisters who require such help from us.
Dear Editor,
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and I wish to use your respected platform to appeal to the Cocobod to make enough cocoa products available and at reduced prices.
It might interest you to know that there are a lot of people like me who hardly take time to refresh ourselves with cocoa products like chocolate and so forth.
It is occasions like this that make us refresh ourselves with chocolate and other cocoa-related products.
Gladly, inflation has dropped significantly and for ordinary citizens like us, purchasing some of these products at reduced prices is the only way we can experience this reduction.
As usual, the market women would rush to buy and sell them at exorbitant prices, forcing a lot of people to stay away from showing love to friends and families.
I, therefore, appeal to the Cocobod to make the chocolates and other products available in large quantities at vantage points to make them accessible to all.
Maxwell Alabi,
Mamprobi
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Homelessness in Ghana, particularly in major cities like Accra, Kumasi, and Takoradi, is a growing crisis driven by severe housing shortages, economic hardship, and rapid urbanisation.
Thousands of people, including children, sleep on the streets, in front of stores, on pavements, or beneath footbridges at the mercy of the weather due to the lack of accessible, safe, and secure housing. Their situation is even worse when it rains since they have nowhere to hide.
In actual fact, housing infrastructure development is far behind the influx of migrants from rural areas to cities like Accra in search of better prospects, which leads to overcrowding and low-grade housing.
Although the homeless feel safe in their temporary shelters on streets and pavements, it is dangerous to their health. When they are sacked, they soon return to the streets again as they have no place of abode, so the situation becomes a cycle of ‘sacking and returning.’
This menace of homelessness comes as a result of poverty, migration, parental neglect, divorce, among others, which is affecting many women and children. In effect, children who should be in school find themselves on the streets, begging for alms.
Some of them pick whatever they can find, such as half-spoiled products from trash dumps, leftovers from the road, or food scraps. This puts their lives in jeopardy every day by exposing them to illnesses, abuse, drug usage, and human trafficking.
The homeless must be empowered with skills development and job creation opportunities such as vocational training to allow them to become economically self-sufficient and move off the streets.
Ghana cannot progress if she fails to address this menace; therefore, the government must find lasting solutions to the problem by investing in the construction of low-cost, affordable housing units, creating rent-to-own schemes to ensure low-income earners can secure shelter.
Additionally, the government should find ways to reduce the influx of people into cities by creating more jobs and investing in infrastructure in rural areas.
There is the urgent need to enhance support for victims of domestic violence and families in distress, which will go a long way to prevent them from becoming homeless, especially women who face barriers to property ownership.
It is necessary to have more shelters, feeding programmess, rehabilitation facilities, and mandatory school reintegration to address this challenge.
Addressing homelessness in Ghana requires a collaborative approach involving government action, private sector investment in low-cost housing, and support from Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) to ensure sustainable, long-term solutions.
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