Accra, Feb. 9, GNA - Barclays Bank of Ghana on Thursday presented three cheques worth 30,000 dollars to three charities in Accra to mark the end of its 'Miles Ahead in Tourism' programme. The beneficiary organisations, which received 10,000 dollars each, were Water Aid, World Vision International and Habitat for Humanity, Ghana.

Speaking at the presentation, Mrs Margaret Mwanakatwe, Managing Director of Barclays Bank, Ghana, said the three charities were selected based on the Bank's resolve to support communal needs for potable water, medical care and shelter.

"We believe such programmes would not only relieve communities from the difficulties they faced in meeting these needs but would also free-up more productive time for other ventures, thereby helping to empower rural folks economically," she noted.

Mrs Mwanakatwe said the Miles Ahead expedition in Ghana, which targeted the promotion of domestic tourism, successfully visited tourist sites in all the 10 regions of the country.

She said a documentary filmed during the expedition would be serialised for 26 weeks on television to further support national efforts at boosting the tourism sector. Ms Aissa Toure Sarr, Country Representative for Water Aid, said the money would be used to sink two boreholes in the Afram Plains in the Eastern Region.

Mr Clement Odua-Mensah, Capacity Building Coordinator, World Vision Ghana, said the money would be used to scale-up the Organisation's operations in preventive care of HIV/AIDS. Mr Raphael Bokumah, Resource Development and Communications Manager, Habitat for Humanity, Ghana, said its share would be used to build more low-cost houses in rural communities.