EP Church, Ghana commissions students' hostel

Ho, Oct. 15, GNA - The Evangelical Presbyterian (EP) Church, Ghana on Thursday commissioned a 141-million-cedi hostel in Ho for students of the Church's informal skills training programme.

This is in line with the Church's 63rd Synod decision to increase access to the programme run by the Activity Centre of the Church for mainly school dropouts, teenage mothers and the disadvantaged. Mr William Kpende, Manager of the Social Services Centre of the church said Mrs Brigitte Hoffman, a former German volunteer worker of the Church and some partner Churches in Germany, funded the hostel. The fenced hostel, which was a disused kitchen and dinning room originally put up in 1968, could house 18 people.

It is fitted with beds, mattresses, in-house and out-house washrooms and a box room.

Mr Kpende said since Mrs Hoffman mooted the idea for the programme six years ago, she had not relented in sourcing funds to improve the needs of trainees.

Madam Alice Ayebi, Programme Manager of the Activity Centre said 104 people had been trained since its inception six years ago. She said entrepreneurial skill training is a core subject in the programme, which cost about 2.5 million cedis per trainee. Madam Ayebi said, other subjects taught during the six-months' periods for a session include, sewing, knitting, cookery, baking and life skills.

She explained that the course was graduated to meet the special needs of the trainees, some of who had babies to fend for.