Gomoa Panfokrom (C/R), Sept 9, GNA - The Director of the German National Office of Plan International, a child-centred community development organisation, Ms Andrea Paffgen, is on a four-day visit to Ghana.

Ms Paffgen who took up that appointment about a week ago (1st September 2010) is visiting Africa for the first time.

Speaking at Panfokrom Community Development Vocational Institute where the German National Office of the Organisation is sponsoring 41 students at a cost of GH¢3,690.00 a year, Ms Paffgen said she was in the country to assess how monies donated for sponsorship was being utilized.

She said her selection of Ghana for her first visit to Africa was influenced by the excellent performance of Ghana's National Team, the Black Stars in the World Cup tournament in Germany and South Africa, and also the good work Plan Ghana had been doing.

The Director commended Plan Ghana and the Institute for using the fund judiciously for the intended purpose.

Ms Rebecca Ampah-Korsah, Headmistress of the Institute, said when the going was tough for the Institute to retain students enrolled because the parents were unable to pay the fees due to abject poverty in the area she appealed to Plan Ghana for help.

She said the organisation responded to the appeal by offering half scholarship to the students and added that even that some of the parents were unable to pay the remaining half. Out of 15 beneficiaries only three remained in the school.

Ms Ampah-Korsah said she went back to plead with the organisation to expand the package to save the school from collapse.

She said the 12 students who left the institute because their parents could not pay the half scholarship, returned to the school when Plan Ghana through which the Germany office of the organisation channelled the sponsorship accepted to pay the full fees for the students.

Mr George Yorke, Acting Southern Sector Manager of Plan Ghana, said his organisation began receiving grants from the Germany office starting from September 2007, to offer scholarships to girls to pursue vocational training to enable them to acquire skills for their future development.

He said Plan also donated four knitting machines, four industrial machines, two gas cookers and one deep freezer to the Institute as part of the partnership between Plan and the institute.

Nana Asare Andoh I, Chief of Adzintem, appealed to Plan to increase the number of the beneficiaries of the scholarship to the school.

Mr Joseph Christ Assan, Bawjiase Programme Area Manager of the organisation, said the scholarship was meant for three years but now that the duration of the vocational course had been extended to four years, efforts would be made to secure funding for the remaining one year.

Mr Theophilus Ribeiro, Central Regional Director of the Department of Community Development, appealed to Plan to help the department to meet its inadequacies.