News
MoGSP hosts end-of-year Christmas party
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has organised an End-of-Year Christmas Party for children, bringing together children from care homes, basic schools, and partner institutions for a day of celebration.
The colourful event, held at the Efua Sutherland Children’s Park, was led by the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, who described the gathering as an expression of gratitude to God and a demonstration of the Ministry’s commitment to child welfare and social protection.
Addressing the children, caregivers, and stakeholders, the Minister thanked God for seeing the nation through 2025, a year she noted began with transition but ended with renewed hope. She said the Christmas season was an important moment to remind children under the care of the Ministry that they are loved, remembered, and supported.
“Christ is the Father to the fatherless and the mother to the motherless. Today, we want the children to know that they are not alone. They have created a community of their own here, and we want them to feel that sense of family,” she said.
The programme featured fun games, music, dancing, bouncing castles, and shared meals, with visible excitement and joy among the children.
The Minister further noted that the Christmas party was not a one-off activity but part of the Ministry’s broader approach to child care and protection, which includes regular visits to children’s homes and continuous social support initiatives.
Touching on parental responsibility, she encouraged parents and guardians to take advantage of government social intervention programmes, including the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) Programme and the School Feeding Programme, to support the care and education of their children.
“No matter the challenges, there are interventions to support families. Let us all play our part in raising children who will have a brighter future,” she urged, calling for collective responsibility in line with the vision of President John Dramani Mahama.
Children from selected basic schools, including Osu Salem 1 Basic School, Kotobabi 5 Basic School, Martyrs of Uganda R/C Basic School, St. Mary’s Girls R/C Basic School, Mamprobi Methodist Basic School, EP Basic School (Mamprobi), Lerato Preparatory School, Amrahia Community School, and the Ministry of Health School, participated in the event.
Institutions and partners such as UNHCR, Compassion International Ghana, SOS Children’s Village, International Needs, the Early Childhood Development (ECD) Council, and Osu Children’s Home were also represented.
Medical Doctor and dietician, Dr Bernice Korkor Asare, has urged women to take greater responsibility for their lifestyle choices, particularly their eating habits and levels of physical activity, to help reduce their risk of developing breast cancer.
According to her, although, some breast cancer risk factors, such as family history and certain reproductive factors, may not be within an individual’s control, lifestyle choices offer an opportunity for people to take preventive action.
She made this known during a talk on the topic: “Role of diet in breast cancer prevention” organised by Times Ladies Association of the New Times Corporation, publishers of The Ghanaian Times and The Spectator, in Accra on Thursday.
The event themed “Breast Cancer Awareness- Promoting Early Detection, Healthy Eating and Prevention.” 
She noted that having a risk factor did not automatically mean a person would develop breast cancer, but could increase the likelihood of developing the disease compared with someone without that particular risk factor.
“Having close relatives who have had breast cancer, particularly a mother, sister or daughter, may increase the risk, although not everyone with a family history will develop the disease,” Dr Asare opined. Read More.
By Adizatu K. Munkaila
SKIP THE QUEUE, TAP THE NEWS
Read Daily News
You can now read the Ghanaian Times and The Spectator newspapers from the comfort of your device via TimesNewsPlus.
Buy Maps
Join our WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
A group of compassionate friends from Innovation Gospel Impact last Friday visited the management, teachers and learners of the Street Academy in Accra.
The visit was to interact to get a deeper insight into the operations of the Academy that houses hundreds of street and underprivileged children and find ways to support them.
The team was led by Rev. Dr Isaac Apenteng Yeboah, a former Director for West African Mailbox Club and Director for Prisons Support Foundation, and Rev. Dale Sutherland from Washington DC.
The call, according to the visitors was occasioned by reports about the struggles of the Academy despite the occasional support it enjoys from individuals and some corporate entities.
Briefing them, the Founder and Executive Director of the Academy, Dr Ataa Lartey, thanked them for the concern showed, indicating that “this is a major boost for both teachers and learners; knowing that their plight is known by people outside their premises.”
According Dr Lartey, the Academy had planned to undertake a number of project to enhance teaching and learning and also procure facilities for the children with keen interest in sports but had to shelve those plans for lack of finance.
He told the team that their biggest concerns were the monthly utility bills that takes a toll on their finances.
“We have a piece of land we planned to turn into an astro turf pitch to train the younger ones whose interests lies in making a career out of football, however, we have been unable to commence because there is no money now,” he said.
Dr Lartey expressed gratitude to the teachers who have dedicated their lives to training these children, rather than going for well-paying jobs and hoped that with time, their conditions of engagement would improve.
Moved by the plight of the Academy, the group donated a cash amount of Gh₵3,000 to settle its water bills.
They described as unfortunate the conditions of learners and teachers of the Academy and pledged to continuously support their operations to realize the dream to build a better future for the unfortunate children.
The group offered to support the school with its monthly utility bills, feeding and staff allowance and urged the Academy staff to remain in constant touch with them.
The Street Academy is located at the Accra Art Center and offers brilliant but needy the chance to pursue their educational dreams by enrolling them in public schools with others offered training in sports and cultural activities.
By Spectator Reporter
SKIP THE QUEUE, TAP THE NEWS
You can now read the Ghanaian Times and The Spectator newspapers from the comfort of your device via TimesNewsPlus.
Join our WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
