General News of Wednesday, 11 October 2017

Source: ghananewsagency.org

First Lady urges Ghanaians to help build the country together

First lady Rebecca Akufo First lady Rebecca Akufo

The First Lady, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo has urged all Ghanaians and corporate institutions to attain the spirit of volunteerism and social responsibility in helping nation building.

She said the provision of essential services to the people was very important and that Ghana could achieve more as a country if all corporate institutions and individuals got involved in the provision of such essential services.

Mrs Akufo-Addo said this when officials from the HFC Bank called on her in Accra to present a cheque of GHC 270,000 as proceeds of contributions collected from staff, customers, family members, and friends of the Bank under a fundraising events that gathered funds from Tamale to Accra by some 13 cyclists mobilized by the HFC Bank.

The cyclists, led by Mr. Issah Mohammed, the icon cyclists, also included Mr Charles Zwennes, HFC’s Board Chairman.

They made the 688-kilometer journey from Tamale to Accra within eight days raising funds to help build a Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound for the people of Nyanshegu in the Tamale Metropolis of the Northern Region.

The HFC Bank partnered the First Lady’s Infanta Malaria Prevention Foundation on the campaign to mobilize the funds.
While commending officials of the Bank for the gesture, Mrs. Akufo-Addo said by the generosity of the Bank, “a child will be saved and a pregnant mother will be assured of decent healthcare.

“Because of you, the people of Nyanshegu can boast of a community health center. Because of such selflessness, humanity can have hope for the future”.
She indicated that the total eradication of malaria in Ghana was very dear to her heart, emphasizing that, it was that passion to see a Malaria Free Ghana that led to the formation of the Infanta Malaria Prevention Foundation.

She said over the years, her Foundation had made significant strides in the prevention of malaria campaign and that the concept of the CHPS compound played a central role in the fight against malaria and other services that were essential and fundamental to human health.

The First Lady expressed her resolve to mobilize more resources to improve the welfare of mothers and children in the country.

Mr. Zwennes, who presented the cheque to the First Lady said the HFC Bank decided to partner the Foundation in August this year, to help mobilize money to build the CHPS facility.

He gave the assurance that the Bank would continue to gather more funds to support the Infanta Foundation.