Abura Dunkwa (C/R), Feb. 28, GNA - Plan Ghana, a child centred international non-governmental organisation (NGO) has spent 1,940,673,441 cedis to promote the welfare of children in the Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese District in 2006.

Mankessim Programme Area of the NGO is sponsoring seventeen communities in the district.

In a speech read on his behalf at the second annual performance review meeting at Abura Dunkwa, Mr Jacob Turkson, Mankessim Programme Area Manager gave the break down of the expenditure as education 866,673,136 cedis, health, water and sanitation 895,138,090 cedis and the rights of the child 178,862,215 cedis. Mr Turkson explained that under the rights of the child, children's clubs were formed to assist them to fight for their rights, which were often trampled upon by adults.

The Programme Area Manager expressed disappointment about the low turn over of the heavy investment Plan Ghana had had put into the projects particularly in education and appealed to the partners of the organisation to be up and doing. He said in 2004 the District scored 33 per cent in Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) 32.8 per cent in 2005 and 40 per cent in 2006 and asked whether he could be justified to request more funds for school projects in the District when they were not achieving good results.

Mr Turkson urged communities to monitor and evaluate the impacts of Plan interventions to know how many students had gained admission into the senior secondary schools and the universities and whether the health programmes including the sale of Insecticide Treated Nets (ITN) had reduced malaria in the communities.

Mr Benedict Gyapong, Community Facilitator, Plan Ghana appealed to the partners to take good care of the projects and manage them as their own.

Mr Joe Appiah, Plan Ghana Southern Sector Co-ordinator of Community Managed Projects took the participants through community contribution in programmes and projects and also on model community concept. Mr Kojo Eyiah, District Disease Control Officer, appealed to the NGO to provide the District with a nutrition centre to address stunted growth in the area, which was the result of malnutrition. He commended the NGO for its support in child survival programmes especially in the Extended Programme on Immunization (EPI) and the training of volunteers for the Community Health and Planning Services (CHPS) zones.

Mr Ephraim Donkor, an Assistant Director of Education appealed to the organisation to provide enough resources for building the capacity of teachers and logistics to circuit supervisor to intensify inspection of schools and commended it for support given for HIV/AIDS education.