Techiman, Aug 28, GNA - The Secretary General of the Red Cross Society of Ghana, Mr. Andrews Frimpong, has accused the government of not supporting the society to enable it discharge its duty as mandated. He said though the society was established by an Act of parliament in 1958 and mandated every president to be its chief patron, successive governments had turned their backs on the society leaving it to fend for itself.

The Secretary General said this at the opening of the first ever one-week national Red Cross Youth camp meeting in Techiman under the theme "The Youth Together for humanity".

He said the society was supposed to render auxiliary service to some ministries and agencies such as defence, health, interior, education, social welfare among others and expressed regret that some of the departments were not aware of such services.

Mr Frimpong said the society would send a strong petition to the government for it to take full responsibility of the society. He said the nation was still grappling with some challenges of youth such as drug abuse and unemployment.

Mr. Frimpong said although the society was struggling with finances especially with the pull out of the Swiss from certain areas, the society did all it could to provide training, peer support, and education to the youth.

Dr. Jones Takyi, Chairman of the Brong Ahafo Regional Red Cross, said the youth of every nation was its greatest asset and therefore every individual should leave no stone unturned to enhance good and rich moral values, righteousness and leadership skills in them. He commended the Red Cross for organizing outreach programs in primary eye care services where trained volunteers liase with ophthalmic nurses to carry out such programmes.

It also trained 414 women volunteers called mother clubs in the Kintampo, Atebubu-Amanteng and Pru districts where guinea worm disease is endemic as well as EU sponsored borehole projects. The Techiman Municipal Chairman, Mr. Joseph Y. Asuamah, thanked the society for assisting the municipality to organize the programme.