Onua TV, Radio launch Foundation

Two media stations, Onua TV and Onua Radio, have launched the Onua Foundation to provide humanitarian aid to deprived communities and people generally facing challenges.

The General Manager of Onua TV and Onua Radio, Stephen Schandorf, at the launch of the foundation last Friday, said the foundation’s Tagline “Boafo) pa” which meant “Good Helper” was a life impacting venture and urged all to support it.

He said they would be leveraging the power of the media to serve the needs and expectations of people.

“Through the launch of the foundation we aim to create partnerships and opportunities that will enhance the lives of viewers and listeners,” he said. 

Livelihood

Mr Schandorf explained that statistics over the years had proven that the majority of people continued to live in abject poverty with others having difficulties to access basic needs.

He said this year, reports revealed that approximately 2.9 million people in the country were living in extreme poverty with the majority residing in the rural areas.

“This includes 2.8 million families surviving on less than GH¢23 per day in rural regions as well as 214,000 individuals in urban areas facing extreme poverty.

“The World Health Organisation in 2018 found that over 40 per cent of Ghanaians lacked access to essential health services,” he stated.

The General Manager added that the Ghana Statistical Service in 2017 revealed that approximately 13 per cent of children in rural areas had never attended school, highlighting the educational disparities in the cycle of poverty.

“There are several of these challenges that we need to collectively build with people and that is what the Onua Foundation will seek to work with society to help address,” he said.

The Head of News, Onua TV and Radio, Abu Issa Monnie, expressed excitement about the launch of the foundation and said they looked forward to working with people who cared about the vulnerable and destitute in society.

He said their focus was to seek and create opportunities that improved the lives of people by contributing to good education, access to good health care and good drinking water.

He stated that the dam spillage provided the impetus to build on ongoing interventions by the Onua Group to transform society.  

Humanitarian aid

The Chief Executive Officer of the FC Beauty Group, Dr Grace Amey Obeng, who launched the foundation expressed her passion to impact life and congratulated the two stations for the initiative.

She said it was critical to lend a helping hand to people in need, particularly at a time when the country was facing challenging economic times and also when the poverty gap was widening.

She said the initiative was timely considering the pivotal role played by the stations and their staff in the dams spillage relief fund project introduced by the management of Media General and 3Foundation.

Dr Obeng said the scope of humanitarian aid was trust, urging the two stations to focus their attention on areas they could make the most impact.

She also charged them to serve humanity in a manner to get support from society to impact lives and livelihood.

“Foundations are set up essentially to render humanitarian aid and not an assignment to expect profit and return.

There is joy in doing good but at the same time it is difficult and thankless,” she stated.