EDAIF boosts health, education sector

The Export Trade, Agricultural and Industrial Development Fund (EDAIF) has initiated a project to provide financial and medical equipment worth GH?220,000 to health and educational institutions in the country.

The beneficiary schools and health centres are mostly in deprived areas, and the project is expected to boost effective and efficient delivery of healthcare and education services.

They are the Manyayiri CHPS compound at Wa West district and Nator Duori basic school of the Upper West Region, and the Jisonaayili Islamic Basic School in the Sagnarigu district of the Northern Region respectively.

Each region is entitled to health and educational support, with the distribution made according to specific needs of each of the institutions.

Each beneficiary educational institution received a cheque for GH?12,000 while the health centres received GH?10,000 each.

Manyayiri Health Centre received GH?13,000 for the acquisition of a tricycle, which has been customised into an ambulance to enhance its operations.

The Northern Zonal Manager of EDAIF, Mr. Frank Dan Enyimayew, said the gesture forms part of the Fund’s corporate social responsibility of giving back to society.

He said EDAIF made the decision after visiting the regions to assess their needs and observing the challenges they encounter.

He urged the beneficiaries to channel the funds into the purpose for which they were given, in order to boost health and educational services in the communities.

The headteacher of Nator Duori D/A Primary school, Mr. Zumasiqee Moses who received the cheque on behalf of the school, commended EDIAF for the gesture -- saying lack of a classroom unit has compelled authorities to combine two classes into one to enable the kindergarten have a classroom to study in.

He said due to the unavailability of classroom blocks, teaching and learning has become very difficult as a result of overcrowding.

According to him, each class in the school from Kindergarten (KG) to Junior High School (JHS) has a class size of about 60 pupils, which is above the Ghana Education Service (GES) standard of 35 pupils; thereby adversely affecting the quality of teaching and learning in the school.

The Community Health Officer of Manyayiri, Dabong Calistus, expressed gratitude to EDIAF for the support, saying it will go a long way to improve healthcare delivery and reduce the community’s mortality rate.

He said the facility serves six communities including two in the Northern Region, with only two health officers and a motorbike as an ambulance to carry pregnant women to the nearby health centre -- which is about five miles away.