Adwinsa Publications, in collaboration with Ghana Reads Initiative, E Ananse Library, and Educational Times, marked this year’s International Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 12, 2024, with a reading event dubbed “Reading With Our Mothers.”

The event, held at the E Ananse Library in East Legon, featured a panel of mothers who read Patience Vormawor’s ‘Afua and the Magic Calabash’ to schoolchildren and parents participating in the celebration.

Centered around the theme of kindness, the book encouraged parents, especially mothers, to treat their children including adopted ones and those entrusted to their care with kind-heartedness.

The reading panel included Rev. Dr. Bernice Kwarteng Donkor from the Teacher Education Department of the University of Ghana, who also serves as the Second Minister at Bethel Methodist Church – Taifa, along with Mrs. Angela Lasisi and Mrs. Florence Fletcher.

Speaking to the media after the event, Evelyn Amponsah, General Manager of Adwinsa Publications, shared the motivation behind the event.

“We gathered here to celebrate our mothers by having them read one of our published books to the children and also to speak to them about the importance of reading. Today, children are more interested in cartoons and social media than in reading, so the culture of reading is being lost.

"This event is part of Adwinsa's efforts to promote reading and to remind our mothers of the importance of making reading materials available to children and managing their access to and usage of social media,” she stated.

She further urged mothers to focus on the future benefits of educating their children, despite the challenges it may present.

Rev. Dr. Kwarteng Donkor highlighted the need to celebrate mothers while noting the importance of women fulfilling the responsibilities that motherhood bestows upon them.

“I want to wish a big happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there. It is fitting that a day is set aside to honor mothers, considering all the effort we put into bringing forth children, caring for them, and grooming them to become responsible adults.

"Thus, I say that mothers are not only those who have biologically given birth but also any woman who nurtures a child or helps to raise and grow a child. So today, happy Mother’s Day to all mothers.

"In the same vein, we must acknowledge that some women who have given birth should not be called mothers because they do not treat their children well. Some have completely abandoned their children.

"As mothers, it is our responsibility to ensure that every child the Lord brings our way grows up to become a responsible adult, providing them with shelter, food, nurture, and direction so that they can fulfill God’s purpose for them,” she stated.

She also called on all children to respect and honor their mothers, as commanded by the Bible.

Participating schools in the Mother’s Day event included North Legon School Complex and Flobar School.

International Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May and is dedicated to commemorating the efforts of mothers and honoring their significance in our lives and society.