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VCF marks 5th anniversary with durbar
The Volta College Foundation (VCF) marked its fifth anniversary in grand style with a durbar at Adidome in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region over the weekend.
The durbar, chaired by Togbe Asamoakanta, a Sub-Divisional Chief of Adidome, had as Special Guest of Honour, Mr. Gabriel T. K. Atokple, the Volta Regional representative on the Council of State.
picture with pupils of Adidome Methodist
and Presbyterian Basic School
on the front row) with national
executives and zonal leaders
Addressing the gathering, Mr Atokple commended the Foundation for aligning its initiatives with Ghana’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), describing this as a clear demonstration of purpose and a results-oriented approach.
He singled out the anniversary project — the provision of a mechanised borehole for the Sokode-Ando community — which is also expected to address the water needs of the local health centre as outstanding. In a surprise gesture, Mr Atokple pledged to personally bear the full cost of the project. He also promised to collaborate with the Foundation in future interventions across the Volta and Oti regions.
The President of the Foundation, Mr McThompson Agbeti, acknowledged the group’s achievements over the past five years but also pointed out the ongoing challenges, particularly in financing projects.
Among the Foundation’s notable interventions are the renovation of a toilet facility for female inmates at the Kpando Prisons, provision of learning materials to deprived schools in Ketu South, support to the Three Kings School for the Blind in Central Tongu, donation of relief items to victims of the Akosombo Dam spillage, aid to the Children’s Ward of the Ketu South Municipal Hospital, and sanitation campaigns in Ho and Hohoe.
The chairman of the occasion commended the Foundation’s impressive track record, particularly given its relatively young age. He pledged both the support of his traditional area and his personal professional assistance to help the group realise its objectives.
As part of the four-day celebration, the Foundation organised a free health screening for residents of Tsetsekpo near Adidome in partnership with the District Health Directorate. Residents were provided with free medications.
The festivities also included an awards and dinner night, where 10 individuals and zones of the Foundation were honoured for their dedication and contributions. Among those recognized was the Founder of the group, Mr Richmond Ameko, for his vision and dedication to the organization.
The celebration climaxed with a friendly football match, where the VCF team was defeated 5-1 by the Adidome Unity Club, a Division Two side
By Jemima Kuatsinu
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
