As part of efforts in implementing the humanitarian support aspects of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference Covid-19 Response Plan, Caritas Ghana has begun dispatching goods worth over GHc430,000 to the Archdioceses (Provinces) of Accra, Cape Coast, Kumasi and Tamale.
This is part of interventions being supported by the Vatican to aid the vulnerable people impacted by the pandemic.
Recently, Caritas Ghana, the Relief and Development Organization of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference was awarded a grant of Ninety-Nine Thousand, Seven Hundred and Eighty-Five Euro and Fifty-Six Cents (Euro 99,785.56) by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and Caritas Internationalis COVID 19 Response Fund (CRF), to embark on a Comprehensive Emergency Response Interventions on the pandemic in the West African country.
The Humanitarian support package from the Vatican Grant dispatched on August 26, 2020 include food ration, temporary shelter materials like mats and blankets, Health and Sanitation materials for some rural health facilities.
The dispatch of the packages by the Caritas Ghana Humanitarian Response Team led by Rev. Sr. Regina Ignatia Aflah, HDR is expected to reach about 800 poor in the four Archdioceses whose livelihood conditions have been made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The beneficiaries include displaced female head porters popularly known as Kayayei from the cities, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable populations.
Mr. Samuel Zan Akologo, the Executive Secretary of Caritas Ghana expressed joy at the progress being made to reach out to the poor in a more personal way and also expressed gratitude to the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development at the Vatican and Caritas Internationalis for the generous support that “has enabled us to reach out to the poor.
The official announcement of the Euro 99,785.56 Grant was made in a Zoom Webinar virtual ceremony on July 30, 2020.
The overall objective of the project is to guarantee access to basic livelihood security services (food, shelter, medicine) for the poor and vulnerable as well as to provide technical/logistics support to Catholic Health facilities in the remote Regions of the four Archdioceses and coordinated dissemination of authentic COVID-19 information using the World Health Organisation and Ghana Health Service approved guidelines to influence Social and Behavioral Change in Ghana.
About 2,570 individuals from the four Archdioceses will be direct beneficiaries of the Project, among them will be 800 young girls known as ‘Kayayie’ who were affected and displaced through the Government demolition of illegal structures, including 200 people living with disabilities to be provided with food items.
Also, 800 displaced women and their children are to be provided with blankets and mats while 800 workers of Health facilities in the remote areas of the Four Archdioceses are also to be provided with face mask, and other Personal Protective Equipment (sanitizers, veronica buckets and liquid soap.
The project, is expected to reach a total minimum number of over 10,000 indirect beneficiaries who will access support from the health facilities and the community prevention and mitigation of COVID-19.
The Vatican Fund is also to be used to embark on an awareness campaign to raise community awareness to avoid the infection of COVID-19. Religious and Traditional leaders, Parish Priests, Opinion Leaders, Faith-Based Organizations in the four Archdioceses, National Commission of Civic Education, Radio Presenters and Stations will be contacted for dissemination of information.
Meanwhile, 100 Caritas Ghana Staff, Arch/Diocesan Caritas Officers and National Catholic Secretariat Staff have been trained virtually on Safeguarding Procedures and Mechanisms.
Credit: Source link
