Kuwaitis renew pledge to support vulnerable in society

Kuwait National Day has been celebrated in the Northern Regional capital of Tamale, with a pledge by the Kuwaiti community in Ghana to take up more philanthropic causes and assist the poor and needy in society.

A leader of the community, Dr Sayyid Alayaan, who is also in charge of the Care and Social Development Organisation (CSDO), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Ghana, said in line with that commitment, the entity had offered scholarships to 400 orphans in the country and built 100 houses for the poor and destitute in the northern part of the country.

He added that the organisation had constructed six schools and sunk more than 40 boreholes in poor communities in the north.

Kuwait Day

The Kuwait National Day is celebrated on February 25 every year.

While most countries celebrate their national days to mark the day they gained independence, Kuwaitis celebrate their national day to mark the day Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, the current ruler of the country, ascended the throne.

In Ghana, the Kuwaiti-sponsored organisations use it to assess the role they play in the Ghanaian economy and to strategise for more benevolent and philanthropic endeavours.

This year, the occasion in Tamale was used to distribute free school uniforms, hijabs and veils to some of the beneficiaries of the scholarships while some teachers who work in the various educational complexes established by the organisation in Tamale and its environs were also honoured.

Dr Alayaan told the Daily Graphic that the schools, clinics and boreholes had been sited in deprived communities in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions to cater for the educational and health needs of the poor and destitute families in the beneficiary areas of the three regions.

Housing

Dr Alayaan said the organisation had constructed a housing facility at Dungu in the Tamale metropolis to provide free and decent accommodation for poor families who had no place to lay their heads.

He said the 100 houses that were constructed last year (2019) were currently being occupied by the beneficiaries, adding that an educational complex had been attached to the housing facility to meet the educational needs of children from poor families and orphans.

Education

Dr Alayaan stated that apart from the educational complex at Dungu in Tamale, the organisation had the same facility at Savelugu, Sankpala, Sagnarigu and Wa, the Upper West Regional capital, to cater for the educational needs of children from poor homes.

He said all the activities of the CSDO were sponsored by Rahma International Society, a charity organisation based in Kuwait, wealthy Kuwaitis and the Kuwaiti government.

He further disclosed that apart from providing quality basic education for less-privileged children in the society, the organisation was sponsoring some university students to pursue Medicine and Engineering, while others were being sponsored to pursue vocational training such as tailoring, among others.

Mosques

Apart from meeting the social needs of the poor and vulnerable in the society, Dr Alayaan said the CSDO had constructed mosques in some communities in its operational areas and during the holy month of Ramadan, the organisation provided food for Muslims in some deprived communities to break their fast.

Dr Alayaan thanked the Kuwait government and the other sponsors for the continuous support.

Dress code

The Founder of the Maryam Alolo School Complex in Tamale, Hajia Alolo, who spoke at the event urged young Muslim women to dress appropriately as Islam frowned on the wearing of provocative dresses.

She advised Muslim parents to also take the education of their children seriously to enable them to become functional and responsible citizens of the country in future.

Later, there was a sketch by some students of the Maryam Alolo School Complex on how to wear the Hijab and veil.