Regional News of Saturday, 14 February 2004

Source: GNA

Youth urged to devote Valentine's Day to community service

Cape Coast, Feb. 16, GNA - The country's youth were on Saturday urged to devote the celebration of 'Valentine's Day' to community service instead of regarding it as a day for just indulging in amorous activities.

They should for instance, use the day to clean up their communities to enhance sanitary conditions to stem the outbreak of epidemics and also engage in other community services to promote the well being of the people in their immediate surroundings.

Mr Emmanuel Acquah, vice-president of the Cape Coast Polytechnic branch of the Tertiary Education Students Confederacy (TESCON) of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) made the call, when he led other members of the chapter to undertake a five-hour clean up exercise in Cape Coast.

Boosted by brass band music, the students desilted drains and cleared refuse in the centre of the town from the Mfantsipim junction to the Cape Coast Castle area during the exercise, which started at 6 am.

In an interview with the GNA, Mr Acquah said, the chapter, was particularly prompted to undertake the exercise, when during his State of the Nation address, President Kufuor expressed grave concern about the unsanitary conditions in various parts of the country.

According to the youth leader, issues of sanitation should be the concern of all Ghanaians, and expressed the hoped that the youth in particular, would use occasions such as this, fruitfully.

He disclosed that the chapter had also embarked on an HIV/AIDS awareness programme, to sensitise fellow students as well as people of the surrounding communities, about the disease.