Over 500 orphans in Accra to be feted on May 1

More than 500 orphans and underprivileged children in Accra will be treated to a feast on May 1 as part of World Orphans Day celebration to be organised in Ghana.

The event which is being organised by Rayuwa Foundation and partner organisations in Ghana will bring together orphans from Nima, Alajo, Maamobi, Newtown and Kotobabi for the celebration.

A member of the Fundraising team of the project on May 1, Hamza Ayub, tells ABC News Ghana that the event which will be held at the Community Youth Cultural Center at Kawukudi is aimed at making conscious effort to put smiles on the faces of the less privileged.

“This celebration should be a wake up call to everyone to take care of the less privileged and orphans in our communities. On May 1 the children will be brought from orphanages within the communities close by and other known orphans living within the community. We intend to engage them in different kind of games, share some food with them and give them gifts” Hamza Ayub detailed.

The event which is globally commemorated is in its second year in Ghana.

Brilliant but needy students among the lot will also stand the chance to gain scholarship to support their studies.

In 2018, 5 students were selected to potentially benefit from the scheme out of which only one student met the requirement to fully enjoy the offer.

This year, organisers hope to land similar support programmes for the students among the orphans.

Hamza Ayub in the interview with ABC News Ghana bemoaned the lack of proper documentation as a key factor hindering majority of the orphans from benefiting from the scholarship scheme and other programmes associated with the event.

“Last year we were able to secure scholarship for 5 of the orphans but only one qualified for it. We are hoping this year a lot of them will qualify. It takes a lot from the orphan’s side too. It’s unfortunate that in a community like ours people hardly have death certificates for the dead and some of these organisations requires that from orphans to be able to process the scholarships. We are looking at how we will be able to assist the orphans secure the documents particularly those who qualify for the scholarships” the Fundraising committee member added.

He noted that the magnitude of the programme require assistance from organisations and individuals and appeals to corporate bodies to come on board to make the impact greater.

Hamza Ayub hopes that people will in the near future make it a responsibility to take better care of the underprivileged and orphans in our societies.