Couple support Royal Seed Orphanage Home
The President of Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) in the United States of America (USA), Professor Donald Bachand, and his wife, Liana Bachand, have moved to complete a site clinic to support the health needs of children in the Royal Seed Orphanage Home.
The clinic, which would be completed in 2027 at an estimated cost of $35,000, would enable the home to treat non-life-threatening diseases and properly assess children’s medical needs.
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The Royal Seed and Orphanage Home is a residential children’s home based in Ofaakor in the Awutu Senya District in the Central Region which provides food, shelter and education for the needy and homeless.
During a site inspection of the facility, it was observed that already, the first phase of the project, which is a six-bed capacity facility, had been completed and opened for the treatment of minor cases at the home.
There was an onsite nurse who performed daily medical checks on the children to keep track of their health.
Background
A Professor of the SVSU, Prof. Joseph Ofori Dankwah, who spoke on behalf of the couple, recalled that Prof. Bachand and his wife visited Ghana in 2016 and after a visit to the orphanage, realised the need to have the clinic to support the children and the community at large to help them access medical care.
Prof. Dankwah stated that the couple, therefore, organised and solicited for funds to construct the clinic.
He said the clinic was expected to be completed in 2027 and efforts were also being made for the regulators to get it licensed.
Commendation
A caretaker of the home, Naomi Bentil, stated that the home, which began in 2002, started with four children and currently had 166 children.
Due to the high number, she said it became very difficult to cater for the medical needs of the children, particularly those with special needs.
Mrs Bentil said in previous years, the home used to send the children to Kasoa Health Centre and Korle Bu Teaching Hospital for medical care.
Due to the long distance, she said the situation deteriorated by the time they got to those hospitals.
“We have babies and special needs children, and sometimes have to travel at night with the children to the hospital when there are emergencies and so, having the clinic on this premises would help attend to emergencies,” she added.
Mrs Bentil, therefore, commended the sponsors of the project for the initiative, stating that it would go a long way to improve the health needs of the children and the community at large.
She said one of the challenges facing them was food and, therefore, appealed to institutions, organisations, philanthropists and churches to donate to the home to help them discharge their duties effectively.