By Paul Mamattah
The Proprietor and Founder of the New Life Nungua Children’s Home International, Nii Afotey Botwe II, has expressed concern over the rising number of street children in the country, describing it as a security threat to the country.
The phenomenon he noted is as a result of a surge in urbanization and many difficult socio-economic challenges rural families are experiencing as also children who are unable to access their rights to education, safety, quality healthcare, and right to a decent standard of living.
According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, children should live in stable, loving, and nurturing environments, with proper health care and nutrition, and be provided equal opportunities to live in dignity and freedom. Sadly, children on the streets don’t have these rights.
Nii Afotey Botwe II, made the assertion at the commissioning of an ultra-modern edifice for orphans, widows, and other underprivileged people in society at Nungua.
The newly commissioned facility, a three-storey building comes with over 65 rooms and houses over 700 children and fitted with modern washroom facilitiesto give them a life of hope and offer them respite from their plights.
At a colourful ceremony at Nungua in the Greater Accra region, the edifice was officially commissioned, with a fund-raiser held to support the underprivileged who would move into the facility.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Proprietor and Founder of the New Life Nungua Children’s Home International, noted that these street children also stand the risk of being recruited into dangerous vices such as armed robbery, prostitution among others. He pointed out that the failure of society to take care of the unfortunate ones has led to the emergence of groups such as creating problems for the world.
Nii Afotey Botwe II, who is also the Chief of Otinor under the Nungua Stool, stated that there is a need to empower the less privileged and also to give them quality life by creating an enabling environment for them to have the self-confidence to be able to mingle with the community.
In a speech read for her, the Greater Accra Regional Director of Social Welfare, Madam Anastacia Mawudoku, commended Nii Afotey Botwe II, for the love and care given to the children for them not end up on the streets, which have its consequences on the welfare of the children and national security.
She stated that the Social Welfare unit of the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development is a service delivery unit for child protection and family welfare. She added that the unit works in partnership with people in their communities to provide for their well-being through the promotion of social developments with equity for the disadvantaged, the vulnerable, and Persons with Disability.
Madam Mawudoku explained that residential homes focus on the child’s right promotion and protection adding that it is a home for the homeless, orphans, and abandoned children and has the mandate to monitor, supervise and license residential homes for the children.
She reiterated that all children in the residential home are to be given education, good health, nutrition, time to play, leisure, and a child’s safeguarding and protection policy which includes the code of conduct and complaint procedures.
Commissioning the building, the Human and Administrative Director of the Pentecost Church, Apostle Lawrence Otu Nyarko, lauded Nii Afotey Botwe II, for being thoughtful about the underprivileged describing him as a compassionate person and a person with a golden heart, considering the venture he had decided to undertake by helping these people.
He stated that the idea of giving a new life to the less privileged in society is a clear demonstration that the Proprietor and Founder of the New Life Nungua Children’s Home International is a good person and asked for God’s blessing on his life.
Quoting from the Bible, Apostle Lawrence Otu Nyarko, noted that what God the Father considers to be pure and genuine is to take care of orphans and widows in their suffering and to keep oneself from being corrupted by the world.
He stated that it is the responsibility of Christians to develop an interest in foster parenting and should also consider their education and treat them as their biological children.
Apostle Lawrence Otu Nyarko, therefore, called on philanthropists and other individuals to extend support to the orphanage home to address the challenges faced by children who live on the streets.
