DirectAid Ghana serves 170 bulls to aid Eid celebrations

The Kuwait-based international humanitarian non-governmental organization, DirectAid Ghana on Sunday served over 1,000 individuals in Accra beef to enable them partake in the Eid al-Adha festivities.

Each of the beneficiaries who made it to the Al Rahma Social Center, otherwise called the Mercy Social Center, Lakeside Estates, Ashale Botwe in Accra, walked home with no less than 3kg of beef to celebrate the feast of sacrifice.

According to Sami Henedak Ahmed Mohammed, Country Director of DirectAid Ghana, the gift of meat which is an annual affair, was to enable as many individuals, particularly Moslems without the means to celebrate Eid al-Adha to share in the joy of the beautiful occasion.

Similar free meat distribution went on simultaneously in DirectAid’s other centres in Cape Coast for the Central Region, Kumasi for the Ashanti Region, and Tamale for the Northern Region, according to Sami, as well as other areas thought to be a bit remote from these centres, like Nsawam and Ho.

“In all we have offered 170 bulls across the country at a cost of €101,000 (One Hundred and Ten Thousand Euros) to serve meat to all we can reach to enable them enjoy the festivities. The gift is from our brothers and sisters in Kuwait to help our brothers and sisters in Ghana. Yes, most of the people are Moslems but you can see others who obviously are not Moslems. We want everyone to be happy especially at this time and we ask Allah to bless the people of Ghana”, said Sami Mohammed.

Long queues of anxious beneficiaries had formed outside of the Mercy Social Center long ahead of the 2pm appointed time for distribution, and soon after when the gates were opened, a small team of policemen from the Madina Police Station that had been brought in to control the crowds had little to do as people of all walks of life; the young, youth and aged streamed in to receive their gifts.

Some of the beneficiaries even had a second chance, and when the day had virtually ended, some latecomers bearing coupons distributed by DirectAid that entitled them to receive the meat gift, also started appearing one after the other and were served with some of the meat reserved for further distribution.

DirectAid Ghana annually distributes meat during the occasion, as well as undertakes the free distribution of bags of rice, vegetables and oil to celebrants of Eid al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan.

The NGO, with the support of the Government of Kuwait, is currently engaged in a partnership with the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), to provide mechanized borehole water for deprived communities around the country.