Member of Parliament for Ho Central, Richmond Edem Kofi Kpotosu, has supported 250 first-year Senior High School (SHS) students from needy homes with essential items to help ease the financial burden on their parents as they begin their secondary education.

The intervention, launched on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at the Ho Ahoe Community Centre, forms part of the MP’s commitment to supporting education and expanding opportunities for young people in the Ho Central Constituency.

The beneficiaries, who are mainly brilliant but financially needy students, received items including student mattresses, plastic chopboxes, stationery, exercise books, pens, groceries, sanitary pads for girls and other essential supplies needed to begin their SHS journey.

Speaking at the presentation, Kpotosu said the intervention was intended to cushion parents who were struggling to meet the increasing cost of sending their children to SHS.

“Education may seem expensive, but if you try ignorance, you are worse off,” he said, stressing that supporting education was one of his responsibilities as the people’s representative.

He explained that although the initial target was to support between 200 and 300 students, the initiative had so far benefited 250 students.

According to him, the provision of mattresses and plastic boxes was also informed by practical considerations, including concerns about bedbugs and the changing requirements in schools.

He said the items were only an initial intervention, with additional support expected to be provided to the beneficiaries as they progressed through their education.

“This is just a small support to push them to go to first year in the senior high schools. Every child is getting a plastic box and a mattress with stationery to start with. Other items will be given to them later, but they have to get something to start with,” he said.

Kpotosu said the VIVA Support initiative represented more than a donation, describing it as an investment in the human capital of Ho Central and a demonstration of the collective responsibility to nurture the next generation.

He urged the beneficiaries to take their education seriously and recognise that their community had invested in their future.

He encouraged them to study hard, maintain discipline and conduct themselves responsibly in school so they could become productive citizens and contribute to the development of the constituency and Ghana.

“To the children who benefited from my benevolence, when you go to school, you should learn hard. Know that the MP is interested in your education and leave the image of this constituency higher,” he said.

The MP also appealed to parents and guardians to take an active interest in the education and development of their children, stressing that parental support remained critical to academic success.

He cautioned that failure to pay attention to children’s education and development could have consequences for families and society in the future.

Addressing the gathering, Hon. Kpotosu reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that young people in Ho Central were not prevented from pursuing their education because of basic school requirements their families could not afford.

He said the intervention was part of a broader vision under the VIVA Kpotosu agenda, which seeks to promote service, development and empowerment within the constituency.

“This is more than a donation. It is an investment in the human capital of Ho Central,” he said, adding that his vision was to build a constituency where opportunity was not determined by the financial circumstances of a child’s parents, but by the child’s willingness to work hard.

Kpotosu further pledged to continue advocating for improved educational opportunities, scholarships for brilliant but needy students and better school infrastructure in Ho Central.

He described the VIVA Support initiative as only the beginning of a sustained effort to support young people and called on parents, schools and the wider community to work together to ensure that every child was given the opportunity to succeed.

“Your education matters. Your dreams matter. Your future matters,” he told the beneficiaries.

He concluded by urging the students to carry the support with pride and, more importantly, take discipline, focus and determination with them into the classroom.