While many dread the economic impact of Covid19 on Ghana, the aged, women and children appear to be at the worst end of this global pandemic.
At least 24 children in Ghana have tested positive for coronavirus with an estimated number of 9,200,000 others affected by COVID-19 related school closures, UNICEF has said.
The impact on children is likely to be worse, as the country keeps recording new cases with the case count now standing at 4012, Friday.
Even though government’s social mitigation interventions, as well as support for small scale businesses are commendable, attention must be given to the poorest of the poor living in orphanage homes and other social welfare departments.
The Premier New Life Story
Mr Percy Asare Ansah, CEO of Premier Health Insurance
As a measure to support government’s efforts at mitigating the impact of the Coronavirus on the most vulnerable groups, the Premier Health Insurance, a private health insurance company, has donated to the New Life Nungua Children’s Home.
The donation includes a cash amount with products including bags of rice, sugar, toiletries, sanitizers, face masks etc.
Prior to the donation, the entire children population of the Home as well as managers had been signed onto the Premier Health Insurance Scheme which entitled them to free, quality healthcare.
CEO of Premier Health Insurance Mr. Percy Ansah Asare said the New Life Children’s Home has been a major beneficiary of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility endeavors.
Mr Ansah addressing some of the children at the New Life Home
“We realized the underprivileged are the most vulnerable. That is the more reason why we came here. We have some relationship with them.
We have been donating to them for some time now. We have even given them a health insurance cover where all the children are able to get health cover when they are sick. So when this Covid19 came we said let’s come and see how they are doing and provide something for them,” he said.
Given the need for good nutrition and personal protection, Mr Ansah said they decided to provide cereals and other personal protective stuff for the kids at the orphanage.
He also announced special initiatives by his outfit to get doctors to attend to clients of the Premier through special phone-in services as well as drug delivery to patients.
New Life Nungua Children’s Home
Nii Afotey Botwe II, Chief of the Nungua Community known in private life as Cephas Mensah Afotey, founder of the Home was thorough excited by the decision of Premier to donate to them.
According to him, despite the difficult situations they are going through in this Covid 19 period, the support they have received is the one from Premier Health.
Nii Afotey Botwe II
It has been very difficult. For the past 20 years after the establishment of this home, we have never received any governmental support even though the kids here are brought in by the Social Welfare department. It is individual people who support, churches and some businesses etc. But with this Covid 19 the individual and churches cannot come.
Secondly some of these individuals are out of businesses and so they cannot come,” he stated.
He said the support from Premier Health is a potential life saving initiative for many of the kids.
According to him, the Home takes care of 92 kids all of whom are taken care of, all through education from primary to the tertiary level.
“Whatever support we receive we manage it. Education is the way forward so we don’t joke with it at all,” he said.
The home also provides support to 34 aged, 247 physically challenged persons and 45 widows even though this group does not stay with the kids.
The home is embarking on a massive new infrastructure to increase its support for kids and quality of life for them.
Management members of Premier Health Insurance were taken round the facility which is at an advanced stage of completion.