ECOWAS donates to Dzorwulu Special School

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) last Wednesday donated assorted items to the Dzorwulu Special School in Accra as part of its activities to mark the 49th anniversary of the regional bloc.

Items donated to the school included bags of rice, bags of sugar, boxes of vegetable oil, boxes of palm oil, cartons of sardines, cartons of mackerel, cartons of milk, bags of salt, bags of gari, cartons of matches, bags of pure water, cartons of soap-bar, cartons of milo, and cartons of canned tomatoes.

ECOWAS also presented, cartons of soap-powder, cartons of bathing soap, cartons of toothpaste, packs of toilet rolls, packs of sanitary pads, colouring books, pens, pencils, colouring pencils, eraser, sharpener, ruler (20cm), and white board marker.

The Resident Representative of ECOWAS in Ghana, Ambassador Baba Gana Wakil, who led the ECOWAS delegation to present the items, said the gesture was part of the community’s effort to promote an inclusive society and safeguard the rights of children with special needs.

For him, the items were to complement the effort of government in meeting the needs of the school, noting that children with special needs must be supported by all in order to enable them to achieve their goals in life.

He said all children in ECOWAS, no matter their peculiarities, are citizens of the bloc, hence their welfare was of topmost priority to the bloc, pledging the commitment of ECOWAS in supporting vulnerable members of society.

Amb. Gana Wakil said the gesture had been replicated in all the ECOWAS member states.

“This is something that aligns with the social inclusion agenda of ECOWAS through the region and member states. What I am doing is what my colleagues and ambassadors of the ECOWAS all over the other countries are doing,” he stated. 

In addition, he noted, “We give special attention to these young people. And we hope that these items will support the work of the school. These children are ECOWAS citizens in Ghana, and it is our duty to support them in any way possible.”

The headmaster of the school, Frederick Tetteh, commended ECOWAS for the gesture, noting that the school was in dire need of the items donated.

He said the items would be used for the purpose for which they were donated, calling on benevolent individuals and institutions to emulate the shining example of ECOWAS in supporting vulnerable children in society.

“We did not expect that the Ambassador in his capacity will have time to pay us a visit and give us these items. We are very grateful to him and his team for this great support. Indeed, we try to feed the kids four times daily and having all these foodstuffs will add to our efforts. Thank you, Ambassador, for these gifts,” Mr Tetteh observed. 

He also called on the ECOWAS Ambassador to use his office to promote the rights of children with special needs in the region, stressing that society has rejected such individuals. 

The ECOWAS Day is celebrated on May 28 of every year to honour the vision of the founding fathers and the huge sacrifice of member states and citizens in creating a single socioeconomic and political space for peace and prosperity for all.