Kumasi Catholic Church constructs creche

The Kumasi Archdiocese of the Catholic Church has constructed a creche for the children of female porters at the Abinkyi Market in Kumasi.

The project, undertaken at a  cost of GH¢80,000, is an offshoot of Street Children Project (SCP), established by the Catholic Church under the management of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent De Paul. 

It was instituted by the Emeritus Most Rev. Peter Kwasi Sarpong to help children and young people on the street to consider other options than street life and to assist in their rehabilitation. The school has enrolled about 33 children of female porters after it was opened two weeks ago.

Inaugurating the facility, the Vicar General of the Kumasi Archdiocese of the Catholic Church, Very Rev. Luis Tuffour, said the church would continue to put in place the right programmes and initiatives to improve the lives of the ordinary citizens in the country.

He commended all those who contributed in diverse ways to ensure the completion of the project and appealed to all to ensure that children were given the right and needed support and training to make them useful citizens.

Very Rev. Tuffour said it was wrong for parents to neglect their responsibilities and leave children to fend for themselves and expose them to social vices.

The Deputy Director in-charge of Child Right Protection at the Department of Social Welfare in the Ashanti Region, Mrs Patricia Kyeremateng Berchie, said the establishment of the crèche by the Catholic Church was in the right direction since it would bring some relief to the mothers as they moved round to ply their trade.

She called on parents to provide their children with their needs and visit them in school,while encouraging the caregivers and other staff members to also play their roles effectively.

The Director of the Street Children Project, Sister Olivia Umoh, said the construction of the crèche was necessitated by the need to provide a safe place for the children of young mothers on the street and  market women.