New nursery block opens doors of Hope for Weep Not Child Foundation

By Eric Crentsil

The Weep Not Child Foundation at Ahwerease-Damang in the Eastern Region has received a major boost following the inauguration of a modern nursery school block and catering facility designed to improve education and welfare services for vulnerable children and families in the community.

The facilities, constructed and furnished by ERIS Properties Ghana under its annual corporate social responsibility programme, include a three-classroom nursery block, library, sickbay, administrative office, storage room and child-friendly washrooms.

The project also provides the Foundation with a 30-seater canteen, indoor and outdoor kitchens and a pantry. The buildings were designed with adequate windows to improve natural lighting and ventilation while reducing energy costs.

Established in 2005, the Weep Not Child Foundation is a Ghanaian humanitarian organization that provides shelter, education, nutrition, emotional support and guidance to vulnerable children. It also supports single mothers and disadvantaged women with skills and livelihood opportunities.

Over the past two decades, the Foundation says it has touched more than 500 lives through its residential care, educational assistance, healthcare support and community outreach programmes. It currently cares for children of different ages and supports vulnerable families within Ahwerease-Damang and neighboring communities.

The new nursery facility is expected to strengthen the Foundation’s early-childhood education programme by giving preschoolers a safe and conducive environment in which to begin their education. It will also support young mothers in the community who previously had to keep their children at home because of the absence of an accessible preschool facility.

The Head and Caretaker of the Weep Not Child Foundation, Nana Ama Benewaa I, expressed gratitude to ERIS Properties Ghana for responding to the needs of the children and the wider community.

“I thank ERIS Properties for this beautiful edifice. God will surely bless them for their support,” she said. “I promise that we will maintain the facility properly. They will not return tomorrow and regret helping us.”

She said seeing the children happy in their new learning environment was one of the most fulfilling aspects of the project.

“What makes me very happy is seeing these young children happy, even when their parents are not around. I pray that one day everything will work perfectly for the Weep Not Child Foundation,” she added.

Nana Ama Benewaa I appealed to philanthropists, corporate institutions and development organizations to support the Foundation with food, educational materials, healthcare supplies, vocational equipment and resources for the continued care of the children.

The Head of Properties and Facilities Management at ERIS Properties Ghana, Sophia Maame Aba Otchere, said the project was developed after the company assessed the immediate and long-term needs of the Foundation.

She explained that the Foundation had initially requested support for a back-to-school programme and repairs to the roof of its outdoor kitchen. However, further discussions and inspections convinced the company that a more sustainable intervention was required.

“When we came here, we saw babies and young toddlers and began to ask how they would benefit if we provided only back-to-school items,” she said. “We therefore decided to put together a Montessori nursery block so the preschoolers in this community would have somewhere suitable to begin their education.”

According to her, limited access to preschool education in some underserved communities forces mothers to keep their children at home until they are old enough to travel longer distances to school. This situation, she noted, prevents some women from returning to work, learning a trade or engaging in other income-generating activities.

She said the new facility would enable mothers to leave their children in a safe learning environment while pursuing their livelihoods.

Ms Otchere stated that ERIS Properties Ghana would continue to monitor the facility and provide technical assistance where necessary.

“We are not simply completing the project and leaving. As a company involved in facilities and property management, we will return periodically to inspect the facility and determine whether additional support is needed,” she assured.

She added that some contractors who supported the construction had also committed themselves to helping the Foundation address future electrical, plumbing and structural maintenance needs.

The project generated additional benefits for the community through the engagement of local masons, plumbers, electricians, carpenters and laborer's. According to the project brief, about 85 per cent of the construction materials were sourced locally, helping to retain much of the project’s expenditure within the community.

Ms Otchere said the Ahwerease-Damang intervention would not be the company’s last social responsibility project, indicating that ERIS Properties Ghana intended to support other communities in Accra and other parts of the country.

For the Weep Not Child Foundation, the new facility represents more than an infrastructure project. It expands the Foundation’s capacity to give vulnerable children a strong educational foundation while creating opportunities for mothers and families to improve their livelihoods.

As the classrooms open to their first group of young learners, the Foundation is calling on individuals and organizations to help sustain its mission of providing every vulnerable child with care, education, dignity and a place to belong.