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Polio confines female teacher to wheelchair …she needs urgent help to undergo surgery
Some things happen in life which are beyond human comprehension. A case in point is a 50 year-old class four English Language teacher of Ave Maria School, a suburb of Accra who has stopped teaching due to a debilitating illness.
This sad situation has truncated the professional calling of Madam Felicia Kwakye, a single parent who started her teaching career with passion to serve God and country as well as contribute her quota to human resource development.
But, alas, she is confined to a wheel chair as a result of “late complication of poliomyelitis which eventually led to severe arthritis of both knees.”
In view of the aforementioned situation, a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at the nation’s priemier health facility, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Agbeko Ocloo has said that owing to years of non-operative treatement, a decision has been taken to proceed with surgery because of Madam Kwakye’s deteriorating condition which requires “bilateral total knee replacement.”
According to the surgeon, the treatment is not available in Ghana, therefore, the patient would need financial assistance to have the surgery done on her outside the country.
Narrating her painful situation to this reporter last Tuesday, Madam Felicia Kwakye said that a total knee replacement and other expenses relative to her treatment would cost approximately 45,000 pounds sterling.
She said that she had been able to raise part of the money amounting to 25,000 pounds and needs 20,000 pounds to meet the full cost of her treatment abroad.
Ms Kwakye yearns to go back to the classroom to teach her pupils but due to constant intense pains all over her body she cannot do so.
According to her, she prays and hopes for divine intervention from well meaning individuals, corporate bodies, NGOs and governement institutions to help her raise the funds for her surgery as she presently relies on physiotherapy to ease her pains and it costs her GH₵450.00 weekly and that is also a challenge to her because she is not working at the moment.
Financial assistance can be sent to MoMo number: 0244092136
Name of the account is Anastasia Adoma Kenyah or to The Spectator.
By Portia Hutton-Mills
The Vice President, Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has called for stronger action to promote gender equity and create more opportunities for women in the workplace.
She made the call in a Facebook post after joining staff at the Presidency of Ghana to mark International Women’s Day.
The celebration was held under the theme “From Commitment to Action: Promoting Equity for Every Woman in the Workplace” and focused on recognising the achievements of women while reflecting on the work needed to ensure equal opportunities.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang extended warm wishes to women across Ghana and noted that women have always played key roles in the country’s communities and economic activities.
According to her, women in the past served as healers, traders and queen mothers who contributed to leadership and governance in traditional societies.
She explained that Ghana’s cultural history shows that women have long provided knowledge, leadership and innovation to help develop communities.
The Vice President however noted that current disparities require society to examine systems and structures that may have limited opportunities for women.
She stressed that advancing gender equity will require deliberate actions and the mentoring of young women to prepare them for leadership roles.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang recognised women whose work takes place in markets, streets and small trading spaces across the country.
According to her, these women form the backbone of local economies and continue to demonstrate resilience despite the difficult conditions they face.
She commended women working at the Presidency for their dedication and leadership and reaffirmed the need to promote respect, fairness and opportunity for every woman.
The Vice President further called on both men and women to work together to break barriers and ensure that women can fully contribute to Ghana’s development.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Diaspora Affairs Office at the Office of the President has hosted a delegation of African diaspora women who are in Ghana ahead of a planned Presidential Conferment of Citizenship ceremony.
The Director of Diaspora Affairs, Kofi Okyere Darko, explained in a Facebook post that the visit was a gesture of appreciation by the delegation to the Government of Ghana for its continued efforts to reconnect Africans in the diaspora with their ancestral homeland.
He indicated that the ceremony, scheduled for next Monday, will officially grant Ghanaian citizenship to members of the delegation as part of the country’s broader engagement with the African diaspora.
The delegation was led by Erica Bennett, Founder of the Diaspora Africa Forum.
According to Mr Okyere Darko, her years of advocacy have played an important role in strengthening ties between Africa and people of African descent living abroad.
He noted that the group’s journey towards citizenship represents not only a legal process but also a cultural and spiritual return to their roots.
Also present at the meeting was Natalie Jackson, an attorney who is also expected to receive Ghanaian citizenship during the ceremony. She works closely with renowned civil rights lawyer Ben Crump.
Mr Okyere Darko emphasised that Ghana remains committed to strengthening relationships with the African diaspora and promoting unity, identity, and shared heritage among people of African descent worldwide.
By: Jacob Aggrey
