News
One help at a time
The story is told of a devout young man whose car broke down, forcing him to make his way to his place of worship on foot. As he walked, he passed an area of startling poverty, where destitute people lined the streets, struggling to fi nd shelter; troubled and angry individuals wandered the streets. The depressing scene fi lled him with a sense of hopelessness. In his despair, he offered a prayer to God. In a voice both pleading and questioning, he said, “How can You allow all this suffering and do nothing?”
Then someone behind him whispered, “He didn’t do nothing. He made you.” At once the young man realised that he could be God’s hands. He could help a troubled world or at least a troubled individual. At times it can be easy to relate to the helplessness this young man felt, because we certainly do live in a world of turmoil. Society’s problems seem so immense, and we seem so small. Too often, we conclude that there is nothing we can do and we consequently do nothing. What we need is the gentle reminder this young man received: that we can be the instruments of constructive change. As one infl uential leader put it: “God does
notice us, and He watches over us. But it is usually through another person that He meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other.” Think for a moment of someone who made a difference in your life. Maybe it was a family member, a friend, a coach, a teacher, a neighbour.
It may even have happened a long time ago, but you still remember and cherish that person’s infl uence upon you. A young teenage boy thinks of a football coach who saw his potential, cared about him, and told him not to quit. A girl thinks of a teacher who helped her believe she was smart and could succeed in school.
A new father thinks of a brother who encouraged him through the challenges of parenthood. A middle-aged woman thinks of a neighbour who reached out to her during a heartbreaking time of loss. A thousand other examples could be given of simple moments when the right person at the right time made a big difference in someone else’s life. A song from the Lerner and Loewe musical Brigadoon pays tribute to the influence one person can have on the life of another: I saw a man with his head bowed low.
His heart had no place to go. I looked and I thought to myself with a sigh: There but for you go I. . . . Lonely men around me, trying not to cry, Till the day you found me, there among them was I.
It’s humbling to think what our lives might be like without those earthly angels who spread goodness and kindness along life’s pathway. They come into our lives at crucial times to set an example, to give us counsel or encouragement, or simply to be a loyal friend when we need one the most. Without them, we know we would not be quite the same. All around us are people who need that kind of friend, people “with their heads bowed low,” whose people with a highly developed sense of responsibility. While pessimists and optimists argue whether a glass is half-empty or half-full, the volunteer sees a glass of water and starts looking for someone who might be thirsty.”
Each of us can try to do something. We can volunteer our time in our communities, at a school or library, a hospital or care centre. In a hundred ways, small and not so small, we can open our hearts to whose hearts have “no place to go.” Now could be someone’s crucial moment, when just the right words or even just the right warmth of friendship might make a difference. To them, you can be the right person at the right time. We recognise and give thanks to those among us who are willing to help others, those who volunteer their time and talents, those who sacrifice in some way for the betterment of the human family.
One insightful observer noted, “In a world continually ripped by massive calamities, we … need an auxiliary corps of volunteers, ordinary citizens who willingly undergo discomfort and danger to help fellow humans. Volunteers are special others, down the street or around the world. Volunteering and helping build love and relationships, renew our faith in the goodness of people, and change our attitude and sense of well-being.
We were made with a purpose, and that purpose is to do something for others, to help and bless those in need, and thereby to make a difference in the world. Most often it doesn’t take much change of perspective that can lead to a change of heart, a willingness to accept our part in making things better, a simple desire to help others and look for the good. That positive energy and action can truly change the world in the way most real change happens: one person at a time.
By Samuel Enos Eghan
Mr. Alfred Nii Kotey Ashie, the Member of Parliament for the Odododiodioo Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, has assured the Accra Street Academy of his support in achieving its mission of uplifting vulnerable children within the community to break the cycle of poverty. “Without the needed support, your efforts may go round in circles due to the enormity of the task. This should not be left on the shoulders of the Academy alone. You need support from both government and the private sector. With that, the Academy would be in a good position to shape the future of these children on the streets,” he said.
The Accra Street Academy, originally formed in 1985 as a boxing arena, now serves as a school for deprived children, with most of its population numbering hundreds of pupils being neglected children from the streets of Jamestown and its environs. Mr. Alfred Nii Kotey Ashie made these remarks at the annual stakeholders’ meeting and fundraising event held over the weekend under the theme “Empowering Street Children: Health and Wellness.” The event is one of the Academy’s annual programmes, organized to raise funds and other forms of support to aid the school in catering to the needs of the children and holding its Christmas get-together.
According to the MP, it is worth noting that these children are taught and provided with two meals and a snack daily through the support of benevolent members of society. In view of this, he promised to facilitate the acquisition of documents needed for the construction of an Astroturf within the school’s premises. He noted that “every child has the right to play, and therefore I pledged to do my best to secure the needed documents” for the project to commence.
The legislator disclosed that over the years, the academic programmes of the Accra Street Academy have transformed children surviving on the streets into successful adults. He therefore urged other members of society to partner with the school to “help pupils rise higher for a better Ghana.” In the 2025/26 academic year, 22 pupils were absorbed by the Accra Metro Education Directorate as they transitioned into various Junior High Schools, while still returning to the Accra Street Academy for academic support.
Ms. Yvonne Abba-Opoku, a chartered governance advisor and senior executive in the nonprofit and charity sector, stated that the best gift to give a child was education.
By Spectator Reporter
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Mrs Regina Kudom, Senior Midwifery Officer at the New Atuabo Health Centre in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality, has urged expectant mothers to attend antenatal clinic regularly for safe delivery.
She revealed that “in Tarkwa and its environs many pregnant women prefer staying at prayer camps, we are not against that, you can be there, but when your time is up for your antenatal session make sure you attend.”
Mrs Kudom gave the advice when the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation (GFGF) observed the World Prematurity Day with pregnant women at New Atuabo, Huniso and Awudua health centres.
World Prematurity Day falls on November 17, every year, and it is celebrated to raise awareness about the challenges faced by pre-term babies and their families.
She said research suggested that sex during pregnancy could soften the cervix and potentially aid in labour preparation.
“That is the reason why we encourage pregnant women to have sex with their partners, if they do not have any health implications,” she added.
Mrs Kudom appealed to the GFGF to upgrade the New Atuabo health centre as the current structure was too small because they received many patients daily.
Madam Ayishetu Mohammed, Project Coordinator for GFGF, explained that they received donations from Project C. U. R. E and the items were given to health facilities in their operational area.
She stated that they noticed there were baby dresses, sanitary pads, and baby apparel, so they decided to distribute them among expectant mothers in three of their host communities.
Madam Mohammed said because the foundation was interested in preventive care, they brought a midwife from the Tarkwa Mine hospital to educate the pregnant women.
She extolled the midwives in New Atuabo health centre for the education they gave to the pregnant women and implored them to heed to the advice given during antenatal visits to reduce maternal deaths in the Tarkwa Nsuaem and Prestea Huni-Valley Municipalities.
Mr Paa Kwasi Egan, Deputy Chief Physician Assistance, emphasised that a pregnant woman being anemic meant she was not eating a balance diet, and added that, “Some of these women do not have money to buy food or visit antenatal clinics.”
He said when men follow their wives for antenatal visits, they would be educated extensively on why they should provide funds for their pregnant wives.
Mr Egan, therefore, encouraged all men to be involved in their pregnant wives’ antenatal care appointments so they could learn more about pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting. – GNA
