The Management of the Echoing Hills Village, a non-profit organisation working for persons with disabilities and children with special needs, has called on Churches, Corporate Organisations and government to support the orphanage to host a Christmas party for the vulnerable on December 16, 2017.

The Organisation annually organises Christmas party for individuals with disabilities and children with special needs and as Christmas approaches, we would be grateful if we are supported, said Rev. Lawrence Lamina, Director of the orphanage.

In an interview on November 19 when the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, Legon branch of the Conference of Society of St. Vincent de Paul, organised a soup Kitchen and donated to the inmates, Rev. Lamina said the continuous support from organisations would help bring smiles in the faces of the inmates.

The donation and soup Kitchen was in response to Pope Francis’ call on Catholics and Parishes all over the world to do charity work on the Year of the Poor which was marked on November 19.

The Conference mainly Students and former Students of University of Ghana as well as Adults, led by its President, Mr. Mark Kpovie and Mr. Gabriel Asempa Antwi, Secretary, feted the children and adults of the orphanage with sumptuous jollof and plain rice with chicken and drinks.

Rev. Lamina said the orphanage was established in 1994 as one of the facilities to provide rehabilitation and relief services to children with special needs and persons with disability.

He said the Village also provide camps and retreats for the deaf and visually impaired and this was aimed at providing life changing opportunities for them.

He noted that currently the orphanage has about 100 residents in the facility with some enrolled in formal schools and the rest are given home tuition at the facility.

“We work to help needy children and orphans and vulnerable children-orphans, missing children, disabled and victims of rape and abuse,” he added.

He noted that the children resident at Echoing Hills Village has special needs since they were either orphans or highly vulnerable children living on the streets, abandoned or missing.

Some, he said, were referred to them by the social Welfare Department and the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) but lamented that the home was not getting any support from the government.

He said through their programmes, “we help them go to School by covering their fees, uniforms, school supplies, transport, medicare and other school cost.”

Mr. Mark Kpovie called on Christians to dedicate themselves to the service of the vulnerable to improve their lives to create a sense of belonging.

He said Christians have been endowed with the ability to perceive, appreciate and understand the situation of the vulnerable person, identify their needs, design needed services and facilitate the provision of requisite intervention to bring relief to them.