Read coments below added on 10.02.2004
Bongo (U/E), Feb. 8, GNA - More than 24,000 children in the Bongo district on Monday received belated Christmas boxes estimated at about 2.4 billion cedis from a US-based benevolent group, Operation Christmas Child's Box project.
The Bongo Area development Programme (ADP) of World Vision Ghana (WVG), in partnership with some local NGOs, facilitated the presentation.
The boxes, each valued at 100,000 cedis, contained wristwatches, pens and toothpaste. They were presented to children in nursery, primary and Junior Secondary Schools (JSS).
Describing the presents as a gift from God, the Bongo District Manager of World Vision, Ghana, Madam Benedicta Pealore, said the Bongo ADP existed primarily for the welfare of children, particularly in the areas of education, health, micro Enterprise development, Food security and advocacy.
"With the active involvement of our collaborators, we have brought significant interventions to children and parents in the Bongo area that have lessened the burden of rural life", she added.
The district Coordinating director Mr. Victor Sabog-Moore thanked the donors for the gift and prayed that the goodwill would be sustained.
He said the assembly would support education through the provision of infrastructure and teacher training courses and called for the commitment of circuit supervisors to improve the standard of education in the district.
The district director of education, Mr. Francis Dong-Batigr noted that the gifts would motivate the children to be punctual and take their lessons seriously.
Comments from oforik@yahoo.com
Thanks for the report on Bongo Operation Christmas Project(OCC). However I will like you to correct some impressions that it's created in the Donor organisation, Samaritan's Purse(SP). SP is a Christian humanitarian organisation in the US. OCC is one of their projects and is basically a a christian evangelistic tool. Hearts of the Father Outreach (HFO) is their local partner in Ghana that recieves the gift boxes and distributes to children in Ghana. For Bongo district, HFO patnered with APF Ministries and World Vision in getting the boxes to the children of the district, of course with the help of the district educatin office in collating data. Honourable Andrew Awuni, Ag. Dep. Min. of Information also contributed in gettiing these boxes in the Bongo District. The gift boxes are loaded with basically Educational and Health Items.I will therefore appreciate it if your information online is updated about contents of items and also the fact that the distribution is being handled by Hearts of the Father, APF Ministries, World Vision and Represantatives of the Local Council of churches in the Bongo District. This is very important so donors will understand that we are distributing according to OCC's Chore Values in Ghana. SP collects these boxes from Organisations, Churches and schools in the US.
I hope you will coperate with us and update your information online.
For the Kids Daniel Ofori-Boafo National Cordinator, OCC
