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
News
Oxfam in Ghana donates medical equipment and essential drugs worth GH¢1.5 million to Kasoa Polyclinic
Oxfam in Ghana has donated medical equipment and essential drugs worth about GH¢1.5 million to the Kasoa Polyclinic to strengthen maternal and reproductive healthcare services in the municipality.
The presentation, which took place on Tuesday, June 24, 2026, at the premises of the clinic in Kasoa, formed part of the sustainability and legacy activities under the Power to Choose (P2C) Project.
The donated items included delivery beds, maternity beds, oxygen cylinders, neonatal resuscitation equipment, blood pressure monitors, newborn weighing scales, suction machines, delivery kits, essential medicines, medical theatre wear and other critical supplies to support quality healthcare delivery.
The Power to Choose Project is a seven-year initiative being implemented by Oxfam in Ghana in partnership with the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG), WiLDAF Ghana, SEND Ghana, Norsaac and PARDA, with funding from Global Affairs Canada through Oxfam Quebec.
The project seeks to improve sexual and reproductive health and rights for young people, particularly adolescent girls, young women and young men living in vulnerable and marginalised conditions.
Addressing nurses and management of the hospital, the Country Director for Oxfam in Ghana, Mohammed-Anwar Sadat Adam, said the project, which began in 2021 and will run until early 2028, is being implemented in seven countries across Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.
He said Ghana and the Democratic Republic of Congo are the two African countries benefiting from the project.
Mr. Adam noted that the project has already trained about 102 health workers in areas including youth-friendly services, emergency obstetric and neonatal care, family planning, gender-based violence response, respectful maternity care and inclusive healthcare delivery.
He said Oxfam and its partners conducted assessments at beneficiary facilities and identified equipment needs to help improve healthcare delivery.
According to him, the donation would create safe spaces where young women and girls could seek healthcare services without fear or stigma and would improve health outcomes in the community.
Mr. Adam thanked the Government of Canada, the Ghana Health Service, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Ghana (SOGOG), World Health Ghana and other partners for supporting the implementation of the project.
He urged the beneficiary facilities to ensure that the equipment is properly used and maintained to serve the community for many years.
A speech by the Municipal Health Director for Awutu Senya East, Dr. Stanley Kweku Yaidoo, which was read on his behalf by the Municipal Accountant, Rev. Dr. Askari Thomas, described the donation as timely and important.
He said quality healthcare delivery depends on manpower, financial resources and equipment, adding that healthcare workers cannot effectively deliver services without the necessary tools.
Dr. Yaidoo thanked Oxfam and its partners for selecting Kasoa as one of the beneficiary facilities and assured them that the equipment would be put to good use.
The Acting Medical Superintendent of Kasoa Polyclinic, Dr. Papa Kojo Arthur, expressed appreciation to Oxfam for its continuous support over the years through training and capacity building.
He said the equipment would greatly support the effective management of patients, particularly in maternal and child healthcare.
According to him, the donation would help reduce maternal and perinatal mortality in the municipality.
The donation formed part of efforts to strengthen the capacity of youth-friendly health facilities in eight implementing districts across five regions of Ghana to continue providing quality and accessible sexual and reproductive healthcare services beyond the lifespan of the project.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts (MoTCCA) has announced that an electronic copy of Ghana’s revised National Cultural Policy is now available online for free access by the public and stakeholders in the creative sector.
In a statement issued on June 22, the ministry said the revised policy was officially launched on June 9, 2026, at the National Theatre of Ghana in Accra.
According to the ministry, the decision to upload the document on its official website is aimed at ensuring widespread dissemination, increasing public awareness and promoting the effective implementation of the policy.
The ministry encouraged sector practitioners, stakeholders and members of the public to visit its website and read the document.
“The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, in the spirit of the Black Star Experience, remains committed to a transparent, inclusive and collaborative approach to building the better Ghana we want,” the statement said.
It added that it looks forward to the active participation of stakeholders in implementing the policy for the benefit of the country.
The ministry urged the public to take advantage of the free access to the policy document and familiarise themselves with its contents.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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