Diamond Club of Ghana to build orphanage
The Diamond Club of Ghana, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that protects the welfare of the vulnerable in society, has performed a sod-cutting to mark the start of the construction of a three-storey orphanage at Aboabota, near Ahenema Kokoben, in the Ashanti Region.
The facility, to be completed in 2020, can accommodate at least 200 people and will have a basic school, a library, children's playground, a gymnasium, accommodation for staff, a club house for members, as well as a social centre which will be open to the public for social activities.
The club, which was founded in 1983, has its headquarters in London, United Kingdom, and an affiliate in Virginia in the United States of America.
Support for needy
The Founder of the club, Mr Andrews Kwaku Asante, said it all started in London when some Ghanaians decided to pool their resources and come home to support needy people and contribute their quota towards the socio-economic development of the country.
After operating for sometime, Mr Asante said, the club decided to have a permanent facility to make life more meaningful for the children, and that led it to acquire a piece of land in 2007.
He added that all was set for the project to take off, with 15,000 blocks for the foundation.
Mr Asante stated that the club's vision was to set up a scholarship scheme for brilliant orphans to further their education, adding that as part of its social responsibility, an electronically-pumped borehole constructed for the purposes of the project would be opened to residents in the area.
Commendation
Nana Antwi Bosiako, who represented the Odikro of Aboabota, Nana Adomako Mensah, lauded members of the club for choosing Aboabota for the project and assured them of the support of the chief and residents in ensuring the early completion of the project.
He also called for assistance to rehabilitate the deplorable roads in the area, which he said had stalled development.
The Ayeduase Ankobeahene, Nana Opoku Acheampong, commended the group for its foresight and also used the opportunity to call on Ghanaians living abroad and other well-to-do home-based individuals and businesses to come on board and help build the country, since the government alone could not shoulder all the responsibilities.