Ghanaians invited to revive the spirit of volunteerism

General News of Saturday, April 27, 2019

Source: ghananewsagency.org

2019-04-27

Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Prime Minister, urged Ghanaians to return to the spirit of volunteerism to realize the "Ghana Beyond Aid" dream.

"Volunteering and working with others to meet the challenges of our communities are essential to our development as a people," he said.

Mr. Osafo-Maafo addressed the 6th International Rotary District 9102 Conference, which was attended by Rotarians from Ghana, Togo, Benin, Niger and Kenya in Accra.

The conference would evaluate and share experiences on how to improve their humanitarian services in their various communities.

He explained that Ghana Beyond Aid did not mean that Ghana was not in need and needed help only to properly manage its resources.

"As a country, we look forward to becoming a prosperous, self-sustaining country by better managing our resources, instead of thinking that the help and caring of others depend on us," he said.

It also meant that Ghanaians needed to accelerate their own development, refrain from importing and valuing available raw materials.

The prime minister said that Ghana had no reason to be where it was and should provide badistance to other developing countries and that the judicious use of available resources was essential .

Mr. Osafo-Maafo said that if Ghana had 50% citizens with rotarian hearts and minds, the country would change for the better.

Rotary, he said, aims to mobilize resources to empower the poor and address national concerns, saying that lives have been transformed by the goodwill of its members.

He said Rotary had improved cleanliness in the city of Accra by proving that the wastebasket complemented the government's efforts to rid the city of dirt, which had become a challenge.

The Prime Minister congratulated the club for its services such as conflict prevention and resolution and peace, prevention and treatment of diseases, improvement of water supply and water supply. sanitation, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy, as well as economic and community development. aligned with government programs.

He therefore encouraged Ghanaians to follow their example to realize Ghana's "Beyond Aid" dream, as Ghana would not continue to rely on foreign aid.

Mr. Osafo-Maafo was pleased that Ghana has not registered polio cases in the last ten years and expressed hope that gains would be maintained and that Africa would be declared free. of polio.

He called on the club to step up efforts to make the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Training Center a Rotary Peace Center which, if it were finally established, would be the seventh of these centers in the world. world and the first in Africa.

In a speech read on his behalf, Mr. Barry Rbadin, President of Rotary Club International, said that Africa's future was bright, thanks to a pool of talent and resources to improve Rotary.

"You are the silent heroes, you are the ones bringing change and it's the new face of Rotary in Africa," he said.

Jeffrey Afful, District Governor, explained that he had organized 12,300 Interact Clubs in 133 countries and that the Rotary Community Corps (RCC) had 7,500 CRCs in 80 countries.

Rotaract had also organized clubs to promote leadership, professional development and service for young adults as well as.