‘I support accident victims’ awareness creation campaign launched

A Fundraising campaign has been launched to raise awareness of life-saving interventions for accident victims across the country. 

Dubbed "i support accident victims," the campaign seeks to provide immediate and long-term support for accident victims through medical assistance, rehabilitation and community outreach programmes.

The campaign, which was launched by a charity organisation, Accident Victims Support Foundation (AVSF), in Accra, was on the theme: “Harnessing empathy for national development.”

Objectives

The founder of AVSF, Rev. Cyril Crabbe Bennedict, said every year, thousands of lives were lost to road crashes, with many suffering from life-changing injuries that left them physically, emotionally and financially vulnerable.

He said the campaign was, therefore, to help build a rehabilitation centre for accident victims who sometimes were neglected or abandoned due to the extent of their injuries and lack of financial support

“This home will offer a safe space for recovery and will meet all legal and regulatory standards while working with relevant agencies to provide the best care.

“Many of these people do not have places to go after recovery, so this home will give them a chance to regain their strength, confidence, dignity and independence,” Rev. Bennedict added.

He appealed for more support for accident victims, saying, donors should not see their contributions as generous acts, but as life-saving interventions.“Empathy is at the core of national development. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of accident victims,” Rev. Bennedict added.

Enforcement of laws

The Head Pastor of Divine Power House and the General Overseer of Divine Word International Ministries, Archbishop Kofi Adonteng Boateng, called for stricter enforcement of traffic laws, particularly on speeding.

He advocated severe penalties, including jail terms for offenders, increase of police presence in major cities, especially during festivities, and a robust social welfare system and insurance support for accident victims.

Archbishop Kofi Adonteng Boateng offered a piece of land to the foundation to support its work.

The Deputy Comptroller-General of the Ghana Immigration Service, Issac Owusu Mensah, expressed the commitment of the service to work together with the police, particularly the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), to ensure compliance with road traffic regulations.

He said educating the public and motorists, particularly Okada riders, to be disciplined on the roads should be intensified. 

Appreciation

A survivor and beneficiary, Grace Asante, shared her experience regarding the physical and emotional trauma she had to go through after an accident that nearly claimed her life, and the role AVSF played in her recovery.

She, therefore, thanked the foundation and said: “Without your support, I wouldn’t have had access to proper medical care and rehabilitation”.