Authorities of Tamale Children's Home cry for assistance

Tamale, Aug. 13, GNA - The absence of a fence wall around the Nyohini Children's Home in Tamale has led to rampant stealing at the Home while estate developers have taken undue advantage of the situation to encroach on the land. Some of the residents have used the compound as grazing grounds for their livestock while others defecate indiscriminately around, creating a sanitation problem forcing the authorities to keep the children in their rooms.

Madam Augustina Quainoo, Supervisor of the Home told GNA in Tamale on Wednesday that as a result of the encroachment, the children were exposed sanitation problems and called for assistance to fence the Home to prevent the outbreak of an epidemic.

She said most of their buildings were in deplorable state particularly, those housing the children and could collapse if urgent steps were not taken to renovate them. Madam Quainoo recounted how an inmate who fell ill suddenly in the night died because there was no means of transport to convey him to the hospital.

She stressed the need for the Home to be provided with a means of transport to help prevent such an occurrence in future and facilitate administrative work at the Home.

Madam Quainoo said although the Home had been receiving support from corporate bodies and individuals, the assistance could not go beyond feeding the children and appealed for more funds to cater for the needs of the inmates.

"Though we receive government budgetary support, this is not adequate and regular, we appeal to corporate organisations and well-meaning individuals support the Home," she said. Madam Quainoo said children in the Home had increased from 32 to 500 since it was established in 1970.

"The Home has a monthly intake of 10 to 15 children and the increasing number calls for adequate resources to cater for them," she said. When contacted, Mr Jacob Achulo, Northern Regional Director of Department of Social Welfare, told GNA that plans were underway to build a fence wall for the Home.

He said Reverend Father Martin Balmas of Tamale Pastoral Centre had promised to help build part of the fence wall while the management of Tamale branch of Barclays Bank had indicated its willingness to help fence the Home as part of its social responsibility.

Mr Achulo said the department provided a motorcycle to the Home last year adding: "This is not enough since it is not the best means of transport to convey a child who has fallen ill in the night to the hospital or when it is raining."