NGOs asked to work in collaboration with District Assembly

Suhum (E/R), March 21, GNA - The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Suhum/Kraboa/Coalta, Mr Michael Kofi Mensah, has called on non-governmental organisations (NGO's) working in the district to collaborate with the District Assembly to enable the Assembly provide them with the necessary information to promote their work.

He said it was wrong for any NGO to deal directly with the communities without the knowledge of the Assembly and warned that the Assembly would not tolerate such NGO's to work in the district. Mr Mensah said this in a speech read on his behalf at the passing-out ceremony of 30 women including 10 People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWAS). The others were drawn from the churches, CHACOE Women Ministry and Mathew 25 at Suhum in the Eastern Region.

The participants underwent a three-week training in batik tye-and-dye, soap and pomade making, which was organized by World Vision, Ghana (WVG) and sponsored by "Hope for African Children Initiative (HACI).

Mr Mensah, who expressed concern about the activities of some of the NGO's in the communities, however, commended some of the NGO's like the World Vision, Ghana and the Jehovah Rapha Foundation, for their contributions towards the development of the district.

He said the training of the people had come at the right time, saying, it fell in line with the Assembly's poverty reduction strategy.

The District Director of the World Vision, Ghana, Madam Regina Darko, said groups of people who were given similar training at Coaltar last year, have established their own business.

He assured that the WVG would continue to organize such trainings to ensure that the people acquired vocational skills in a bid to check the rural-urban migration.

The representative of the Hope for African Children Initiative, Madam Phyllis Amatey, said the organisation had released 450 million cedis for the training of women in both the Suhum/Kraboa/Coatar and the Dangbe West districts, saying, last year, more than 120 women were trained in various vocational skills at Dodowa in the Dangbe West District.

She said the organisation was currently operating in nine out of the ten regions in the country and has 20 Community-Based Organisations (CBO's) operating under the organisation.

Mr Jonathan Obeng, Director of the Jehovah Rapha Foundation, who chaired the function, called for transparency in the work of the NGO's and appealed to the participants to practise what they learnt at the training in order to empower them for their own benefit. Mrs Patience Salu, Programme Officer of the WVG, presented certificates and working equipment to the participants. 21 March 06