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Regional News of Thursday, 19 March 2015

Source: GNA

Radio station supports distress family

Vision 1, a radio station in Accra, has donated food items and cash to a distressed family who got trapped in Boko Haram attack in Nigeria and escaped.

The items donated to the distressed family of seven include rice, cooking oil, beverages, toiletries, dresses and GH¢ 8,000.

Nana Yaw Sarfo, Programmes Manager at Vision 1, said the radio station decided to help the family after they were brought in by a Good Samaritan to share their horrific experience in the hands of the Boko Haram militants at Mongono in northern Nigeria.

He said through its morning show programme dubbed “Ghana Beye Yie” teeming listeners of the radio station got touched by the story of the distressed family and made donations to support them.

“To confirm that the story being told by the distressed family was true, we made a contact to the military command in Nigeria and the confirmation came that the said family indeed got trapped in one of the attacks of the militant group but later managed to escape,” he said.

Nana Sarfo commended those who contributed including Dr Kwabena Kyei, Director of Unity Group of Companies and Mr Victor Ahiakpor, Chairman of Hearts of Lion Football Club.

He said one of the children of the distressed family is paralysed and urged other philanthropists to support the child to seek medical care.

Speaking to journalists in Accra Mrs Portia Akrasi, the 29-year-old mother of five, said it was in February when the Boko Haram militants attacked the Mongono community and everybody had to run.

She said the family had to go through a tortuous journey to be able to escape from the attack and relocated to Ghana.

“After staying in the Mongono community for over 12 years, my husband who owned a bakery and other properties had to abandon everything and run for our lives and for more than three days the family had to be walking in the bush trying to relocate to a safer town together with our five children,” she said.

Mrs Akrasi thanked God for protecting them and being able to relocate to Ghana and commended all those who contributed to the donation, especially management of Vision 1, to enable them get a decent leaving.