Project to eradicate hunger inaugurated

Aweregya-Kwahu (Eastern Region) - The Deputy Director of the Global Hunger Project (THP), Dr Fitigu Tadeese has said the hunger project would co-operate and supplement government's efforts to eradicate hunger, poverty, and diseases in the country.

This, he said, would enhance the living standard and health needs of the people to enable them contribute towards national development. Dr Tadeese was speaking at the commissioning of a ?500m Nsuta-Aweregya Epicentre Hunger building project in the Kwahu South District for ten communities in the area.

The building comprises a clinic, a library, a conference hall, a bank and a food bank for the storage of agricultural produce.

Dr Tadeese who is also the African Director of the THP said a number of systems of development had been initiated for the past 30 years without success but the THP would give the needed financial and material support to the communities to achieve their vision to defeat hunger, poverty and diseases.

He advised the beneficiary communities to make effective use of the centre to upgrade their knowledge and adopt improved farming methods to produce abundant food to feed the people.

The Deputy THP Director advised them to make the Epicentre a peaceful and save place for their health needs as well as to acquire the requisite knowledge to increase food production to feed the population.

The Country Director of THP, Nana Agyemang-Mensah said the centre would assist the over 10,000 people in the ten communities to free themselves from being marginalised by hunger, poverty and diseases to enable them provide their essential needs to improve their living standards.

She said the THP did not assist individuals but group of people who came together to share ideas and initiate development programmes to improve production.

The Country Director advised school children especially the girl-child to visit the library regularly to acquire the needed knowledge and also urged the Ghana Health Service to provide the needed Health personnel to man the clinic to provide quality health service to the rural communities.

The Eastern Regional Minister, Dr Francis Osafo-Mensah commended the THP for its programmes to assist the rural population to improve food production and security, health, education, nutrition.

He advised the beneficiary communities to make effective use of the facilities at the centre since the assistance for its construction were sacrifice from people of the donor countries.

The Regional Minister said the country was presently at the crossroads where a war was being waged against poverty, diseases, illiteracy, shelter and dwindling economy and welcomed the assistance from THP and other NGOs to reconstruct the country.

The Obohene, Nana Yeboah Afari Buagyan, II, appealed for the rehabilitation of the Fodoa-Aweregya-Nsuta feeder roads and extension of electricity to the area to enable them to process some of the agricultural produce in the area.