Expectant mothers told to stay away from alcohol and drugs

Dr Roselyn Adjepong, Headmistress of the Garden City Special School at Asokore-Mampong in Kumasi, has advised expectant mothers not to indulge in alcoholism, drugs and other reckless lifestyles.

These, she said, had been known to be the main causes of disability and other deformities in children, which affect their overall physical and mental development.

Dr Adjepong was speaking to the Ghana News agency (GNA) on the sidelines of a get-together organized by the Ghana Tourist Authority (GTA) for students in the school on Tuesday.

It formed part of activities marking this year’s Chocolate Day.

The day was celebrated under the theme: “Chocolate - a healthy expression of love; showing love to the vulnerable.”

She encouraged the public not to stigmatize people with disability, noting that they had potentials which could be tapped for the nation’s benefit.

Touching on the school, she said, its goal was to train the mentally retarded to acquire employable skills.

Dr Adjepong appealed to the government to do more to improve the conditions of service of the teachers there as well as its feeding grant.

Mr Kwame Attah Baffour, Ashanti Regional Chief Accounts Officer of the GTA, called on Ghanaians to take in chocolate regularly to boost their health.

The GTA, he said, would not relent in its efforts at reaching out to the poor and the underprivileged to make life a bit better for them.

The GTA as part of the programme distributed bars of chocolate to the pupils and students.