Showing Affection For The Underprivileged

*United Way Ghana Sets The Pace

ARTICLE BY: WILLIAM BEEKO

United Way Ghana (UWG), in collaboration with other non-governmental

organisations (NGOs) and Ghana’s corporate organisations, last week successfully

held this year’s Day of Caring (DOC) on Tuesday, 15th February, 2011 — a day

after Valentine’s Day which fell on Monday 14, February.

It is an annual event scheduled for Valentine’s Day each year with the prime

object of re-directing the spirit of love and compassion inherent in the

Valentine’s Day tradition towards community building activities.

Day of Caring is a unique way in which UWG brings people together to care for

one another.

The one-day volunteer event involves hundreds of concerned individuals

transforming their daily routine to work to serve their community.

This year, employees from Newmont Ghana Gold Limited, Stanbic Bank Ghana, UT

Holdings, Coca Cola Equatorial, Barclays Bank Ghana Limited, Japan Motors,

Vodafone Foundation, TIGO, Papaye Fast Foods, Aviation Social Centre, BBC

Industrial Company (Ghana) Limited, Shoprite, Game Stores, Blue Skies, and Max

Mart among others swappedtheir corporate pens and computers for paintbrushes and

mattocks as they volunteeredtheir time and resources to help some of Ghana’s

most challenged communities.

More than 600 volunteerspaintedschool buildings, dug, repaired broken windows

and doors, and even spenttime with the aged, in support of UWG’s Day of Caring

2011 event.

This year, volunteers supportedfourteen community project sites – each of which

responds to specific basic needs common in Ghana.

Staff of Newmont Ghana Gold Limited joined Help Age Ghana to paint walls and

buildings of Accra Psychiatric Hospital.

The company also took the opportunity to make cash donations and presented wheel

chairs to the aged.

Stanbic Bank Ghana also donated a Corn Mill machine to the Village of Hope

orphanage in Gomoa Fete, Central Region.

Barclays Bank and Coca Cola also touched lives at the Manya Krobo Queen Mothers’

AssociationinKrobo Odumasein theEastern Region.

Country-Side OrphanageinBawjiaseinthe Central Regionwas also supportedby UT

Group of Companies. The company was represented by Sophia Lissah, the PR and

Media Manager of UT group.

Staff and management of Max Mart Shopping Centre and Japan Motors also joined

the action when they thronged Nima for a Zongo Education Projectin Accra.

The Mother Teresa School for Girls in Senya Berekuin the Central Regionalso

benefitted from a philanthropic gesture of MillicomGhana Limited operators of

the Tigo telecom network.

Vodafone Ghana Foundation also spent the whole day of 15th February at the

Madina Social Welfare Women Training Centre inAccrawhere management and staff

painted girls dormitories, counseled and advised the vocational students

According to the Executive Director of UWG, Jonathan Akuamoah, though the annual

Day of Caring (DOC) event began in 2006, nearly 5,500 lives have been touched

through the generous participation of more than 850 volunteers from companies

like Newmont Ghana Gold Limited, The Coca Cola Bottling Company of Ghana, UT

Holdings Limited, African Concrete Products, Game Discount stores, Allure Ghana

Ltd., 37 Military Hospital, Opportunities Industrialization Centre-Ghana, and

others spread over six distinct projects in different regions of Ghana.

He further disclosed that activities to be undertaken during the DOC include

painting of rooms and walls of needy schools; treating school children and the

elderly to a fun-day; providing the needed medical services to the elderly and

the needy; repairing doors and windows of deprived schools as well as

construction works and cleaning of dirty areas and communities.

UWG, is a not-for-profit organization, which vision is to create stronger,

healthier, educated, and self-sustaining communities in Ghana.

UWG is linked to more than 4,500 United Way and Community Chest Organizations in

47 Countries and territories on six continents through its affiliation with

United Way Worldwide (UWW).

Since its inception in 2003, UWG has acted to help build strong and empowered

communities that care by bringing together community stakeholders to design and

implement solutions to identified problems in their community.

Through the DOC, UWG has developed and organised capacity and leverage resources

for communities to care for the less-privileged in society.

Approximately 6 hours was used by over 650 volunteers from various corporate

organisations to complete the services proposed at their respective project

sites.

The UWG team, led by its President, Dr. Julliette Tuakli; Executive Director,

Mr. Jonathan Akuamoah; Vice-President, Mrs. Douha Smith; Programs and

Development Officer, Mr. Noah Ofori-Gyampoh; and, Mr. Albert Wilson, worked

relentlessly last week to ensure that the event became a big success.

The occasion gave UWG management the platform to bring to the fore what the Day

of Caring stood for, what it entailed and what was expected from volunteers.

Each year, the Day of Caring is organised with the prime object of re-directing

the spirit of love and compassion inherent in the Valentine’s Day tradition

toward community building activities.

The day is a unique way in which UWG brings people together to care for one

another.

The one-day volunteer event involves hundreds of concerned individuals

transforming their daily routine to work to serve their community.

Activities that were undertaken during the day included painting rooms and walls

of needy schools; treating school children and the elderly to a fun day;

providing needed medical services to the elderly and the needy; repairing doors

and windows of deprived schools as well as construction works and cleaning of

dirty areas and communities.