ACHO calls for support in education and health

Mrs Caroline Aggrey-Fynn, Executive Director of the Association of Children’s Homes and Orphanages (ACHO), has said orphanages in the country are facing enormous challenges in the areas of education and health.

She said children living in the orphanages do not get better education after they have completed the Junior High School and called on Government, civil society, non-governmental organization and donor organizations to come to the aid of the orphanages.

Mrs Aggrey-Fynn said this when speaking at the first 2012 general meeting of the association on Wednesday in Accra.

She said her outfit has outlined a number of objectives to be attained during the year and this includes the keeping of records “data” adequately, standardization of orphanage homes and an effective accounting principle of every orphanage.

Other activities includes capacity building for orphanage managers, annual actions plans for orphanage homes and the distribution of Samaritan packs to orphanages in remote areas.

Mrs Aggrey-Fynn said not all children in the orphanages were registered on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) adding that “we again appeal to individuals and corporate institutions to help our orphanage homes to register the children.”

Mrs Jane Irina Adu, Public Affairs Manager of the Association, said children who are victims of neglect violence and exploitation are exposed to dangers that hamper their growth and development.

Mrs Adu who is also the Founder and President of the Poters Village, an Orphanage Home at Dodowa said for a nation to developed, it was the duty of Government to strive for the welfare of all the people.

She said until recently, child abuse was not seen as crime, but the United Nations General Assembly adopted a convention on the right of the child to deal with the issue, adding DOVVSU, CHRAJ and the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs has also emerged to tackle the issue.

Mrs Adu noted that the general welfare needed for the children in the orphanages was love, protection, security, good health and control so that they could grow up to become responsible adults adding that “children in orphanages like all other children have their individual challenges in the process of growing up, their problems must be known and corrected so that they can be directed to do the right thing.”**