Gov’t urged to cater for babies delivered by mentally challenged women

A director of an orphanage has appealed to the government and other stakeholders particularly non-governmental organizations to find ways of catering for children delivered by mentally challenged women.

Mr Felix Akampoi, the Director of the Gods Love Orphanage Ministry based in Bolgatanga, expressed regret that society had not paid attention to such children.

The Gods Love Orphanage Ministry is the only orphanage in the country that has devoted itself, since the 1990s, to take good care of children delivered by mentally challenged women.

The orphanage is currently taking care of 27 of such children.

This came out when the caretaker Upper East Deputy Regional Minister, Mrs Lucy Awuni visited the orphanage and presented some gifts and money to the children.

Mr Akampoi said the health of the children was not the best and many instances they were made to drink water from gutters and eat food from rubbish dumps.

Mrs Mary Amana Akampoi, the wife of the director, said the problem was becoming rampant in the three northern regions and so far the children had not shown any traces of mental illness.

Mrs Awuni commended the Director, his wife and the staff of the orphanage and appealed to organizations particularly NGOs to support the home.

Some of the children in the home are babies; two are in primary six and senior high school respectively.