Asante Mampong (ASH) Feb. 24, GNA - The Asante-Mampong Babies Home h= as appealed for public support to expand its structures and facilities to me= et the demands of the growing population of abandoned and orphaned babies. The facility, originally built to accommodate 24 babies is now housi= ng 41 infants.

Madam Mabel Asafo-Adjaye, Supervisor of the home, who made this know= n to the Ghana News Agency at Asante Mampong described the situation as unhealthy. The Orphanage was established in 1967 by the Sisters of the Order of=

the Holy Paraclete, a religious order of Anglican Church in the United Kingdom. The Supervisor said within the past year, 56 babies were sent to the=

Home but 15 were later re-united with their families at Salaga, Gurumakes= e, Gurumakuma, Nkoronza and Yeji.

The home takes in babies, whose mothers died through child-birth, born t= o mentally deranged persons or people with disabilities and destitute. "The home provides the infants with proper care and protection to ensure=

their survival and development and prepare them for ultimate integration into society," she said. Madam Asafo-Adjaye said the facility also provide special training under=

the "mother-craft scheme" for female school leavers, who are sponsored by=

various rural based organisations as day-care and nursery attendants. ` The trainees return to their various communities to assist in infant development programmes.