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General News of Wednesday, 9 January 2002

Source: .

ActionAid Assists Inmates of Kenyase Camp

A BRITISH NGO in Ghana, Action Aid, has presented bedding materials worth over ?15 million which include 200 each of mattresses, pillows and blankets to the Kenyase Settlement Camp.

The District Chief Executive (DCE), Hon. Michael Nsiah Agyepong said an appeal was made in favour of the settlement camp when he was invited on a rehabilitation programme at the camp.

After visiting their dormitory and interacting with some of the inmates, it became evident that they were facing a lot of problems, including lack of proper bedding.

He said owing to the serious financial constraints and the fact that the Assembly alone cannot shoulder the numerous responsibilities, an appeal was made to the Country Director of Action Aid Ghana, Mrs. Osei Opare with the estimate for the items needed for assistance.

In appreciation to what Action Aid Ghana has done, he again appealed to other churches, NGOs and philanthropists to help put up a church building for the inmates for many of them are Christians.

Mr. Ishaku Badali, Programme Manager of Action Aid Ghana (Sunyani), on his part, said their hands are open to relief people from poverty, adding that they are always prepared to help with any problem that the Assembly is going to put across.

In an interview, the Chief Warden Superintendent of the Asutifi District, Mr. Samuel Deri Bayor, said the present number of inmates is 131 and only 34 sleep on mattresses while the rest sleep on hard sheets and at times some sleep on clothes which to him is not good.

On their system of work, he said they have coffee plantation, cocoa, palm and many more.

Apart from that inmates have their own trained professions before coming to the prison.

He added that society should help in getting them machines so that they can also work on it for public consumption.

Disinfectants are needed to support the inmates from infectious diseases because they are suffering from chicken pox now.

He appealed to other NGOs and the churches to help, for "if you are an inmate, you are not exempted from the society."