Winneba: The Reverend Atta Mensah, Effutu Municipal Chief Executive, has expressed gratitude to Helen Project International Inc for its ongoing support to grandmothers in the municipality. He commended the project’s initiators, executives, directors, donors, and management for their efforts in aiding beneficiaries to provide for their orphaned grandchildren’s education.
According to Ghana News Agency, Rev Mensah made these remarks at an event organized by the project’s management in Winneba, celebrating grandmothers who have effectively utilized the support extended to them. Helen Project International Inc, established in 2013, is a Non-Governmental Organisation dedicated to empowering grandmothers with seed capital to establish businesses, enabling them to care for their grandchildren whose parents have passed away. The initiative is part of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in August 2010, establishing Charlottesville, USA, and Effutu Municipal Assembly as Sister Cities.
The event was graced by notable personalities, including Rev Dr Dale Johnson, Executive Director of the Project, Rev Mrs Karen Cooper, Board Secretary, Rev Kelvin Mattox, Board Treasurer, and Mr Charles Cooper, the Project Donor, all hailing from the USA. Participating grandmothers shared their business experiences and highlighted their challenges.
Rev Mensah emphasized that the project not only provides capital but also instills hope, encouraging grandmothers to engage in petty trading to support the orphans. He assured that the Assembly would include provisions in its next budget to acquire learning materials for their grandchildren, underscoring the importance of ensuring that orphans receive education and skills to become self-reliant in the future.
Ms Ernestina Nabari Yawson, the project Director in Ghana, revealed that the project started with five grandmothers and has grown to include 56 grandmothers. Each participant receives a 100 US Dollars interest-free microloan, payable over a year, to start a business for the benefit of their grandchildren. The beneficiaries, engaged in ventures like selling smoked fish and roasted plantain and peanuts, are reportedly seeing positive outcomes.
Mrs Yawson emphasized the importance of gratitude towards the initiators and donors, urging grandmothers to prioritize the welfare of the children. Rev Mrs Johnson noted that their visit aimed to celebrate the grandmothers, assess their business progress, understand their challenges, and support six new grandmothers, with plans to report back to the directors and donors in the USA.
Madam Comfort Allotey and Madam Elizabeth Essel, project pioneers, expressed their gratitude to the initiators and donors, praying for their continued success and guidance.