A private basic school in the Upper East region’s capital, Bolgatanga, filled a health facility with wonder on Thursday at Tindonsobligo, hometown of one of Ghana’s best-known lawmakers, Isaac Adongo, through unexpected donations worth hundreds of Ghana cedis.
Nan-Song Unique Educational Complex made the donations— comprising some personal protective equipment, medications and 25-litre canisters of liquid soap produced by the school’s learners— to the Tindonsobligo Community-based Health Planning Services (CHPS) Compound at a ceremony graced by the community’s authorities.
The Assembly Member for the area, Thomas Ayambila, hailed the donations as the first of its kind as far as his tenure was concerned.
“This is the first time in my tenure that I have seen something like this happening in our community,” he said, drawing applause from the gathering. “The director of the school has done well.”
Ayambila went on to underscore the need for other entities situated in the community to support the health facility likewise since its establishment and services were essential to the wellbeing of every member of the electoral area.
GHS proposes health delivery partnership with school after donations
The officer in charge of the facility, John Aboegyi, thanked the school for the donations and described the gesture as well-timed because it coincided with an existing plan to upgrade the CHPS compound to a health centre.
“These donations will go a long way to support our work and also augment what we receive from the Ghana Health Service,” he stated, surrounded by the other staff of the facility.
He capped his vote of thanks with a message from the Bolgatanga Municipal Health Directorate that the Ghana Health Service (GHS) was ready to partner up with the school to establish a sickbay within the school.
“Even though we may not be able to station a permanent nurse there, we can have a weekly visit,” the facility’s boss said.
“And also if they are able to organise their own basic [health delivery setup], they may not have to rush to us but when they have an emergency, they can quickly call us and we can send a nurse there,” he added.
Reason for donations
The school’s proprietor, Samuel Sapak Bugre, said the donations were made as part of the school’s corporate social responsibility in recognition of the cooperation and goodwill it had enjoyed from the community as its operational area.
“We are praying to do more than this,” he said, his speech interrupted by handclapping from a crowd of schoolchildren, teachers, members of the community and staff of the health facility. “If God makes a way, we will do more than this.”
One of the learners of the school, Fabiola Asayiko, who gave a speech on charity on behalf of the school impressed the gathering with her delivery.
Her speech stressed the importance of making a positive impact in the lives of communities and people regardless of the size of the impact.
Her confidence, her flow, her brilliance, her depth and her perfection mirrored the outstanding results the young school achieved at its maiden participation in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in 2023.
The school got a number of distinctions at the BECE with all first-batch candidates securing admissions into their preferred second-cycle institutions that year.
One of the school’s learners, Blessing Aduko, emerged the Upper East Regional Champion of the 2023 Edify Ghana Crane’s Typing Project Competition. She was accompanied by a family member as well as the proprietor and the director of the school to receive her award at a national ceremony in Accra with all flight expenses paid by the event organisers.
Source: Edward Adeti/Media Without Borders/mwbonline.org
