Francis Gumah, World Vision Regional Operations Manager – Northern Operations says World Vision will continue to ensure massive positive impact on the lives of children and communities they are located to achieve life in its fullness.
Francis Gumah said this during World Vision’s Play for Photos (P4P) innovative and skill development program for children at the Damongo Astro Turf.
The 5-day program which will run from Monday 11th March, to Friday 15th March, 2024, brought together school children, teachers, security agencies, heads of departments and other important stakeholders.
“As a Christian organization, World Vision ensures it gives life in all fullness to children. These 5-day engagement is to make sure that children and their parents are allowed to meet and meaningfully participate in the activities of World Vision.
We are empowering children by giving them the platform to dictate to us or inform us of activities they themselves would like to participate in. Our responsibility is to facilitate the process for the children”, he said.
The ‘Play for Photos’ is a period when children are brought together, take photos and videos to update their sponsors with the photos and videos. This is done because their sponsors are not here but need to know how these children are progressing in Ghana. So periodically, we provide these photos and videos as a way of evidence to the donors, he further stated.
Per our operations, we make sure we generate funding to develop the areas in which these children are coming from. This is one of the ways World Vision is able to generate funding. Most of the projects in various communities such as boreholes, school infrastructure, health interventions, empowerment, among others in the West Gonja Municipality are evidence and courtesy of what these children do. So basically we are here to engage the children to let them understand that this is what their funding we raise by engaging them can do for their locality, hence, the reason their parents are here.
Francis Gumah also said that World Vision is drumming home the need to protect children by ensuring that all stakeholders are onboard.
He disclosed that World Vision is about launching a new campaign dubbed “Enough Campaign”. This campaign is to ensure that children have enough to eat with the necessary nutrients in their food. We want to make sure that whatever food consumed at their households will contain the necessary nutrients.
So the Play for Photos program which basically is about child protection and support, is also, a good grounds for parents and other stakeholders to know more about implementation of the “Enough Campaign”.
It is evident that world Vision is leading the children to champion their own development amidst challenges.
Various stakeholders, partners and heads of institutions expressed gratitude to World Vision for their support towards the growth of children in the municipality. They commended World Vision for the provision of water, school and health infrastructure, support to institutions, among others.
In a welcome address
Felix Apeti, the Area Programme Manager,
World Vision Ghana – West Gonja Area Programme, on the maiden Play for Photos (P4P) integrated initiative, explained that World Vision is a Christian, humanitarian, advocacy and development organization dedicated to working to transform the lives of all children, families and communities worldwide so that they can reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.
As part of the aims to bringing Hope, Joy and Justice to all children, especially the most vulnerable, World Vision works with Partners and Sponsors to increase child participation and voices in its programming.
And the ‘5-day Play for Photos (P4P) event in West Gonja municipal assembly is one of such interventions’, he added.
Further, each year, the World Vision partnership across the globe is expected to account for the status of all its sponsored children to their cherished and beloved sponsors. This is done through what World Vision refers to ‘The Annual Progress Reports (APRs)’. The Annual Progress Report requires that, we capture photos and video evidence of all World Vision Registered Children and share the same with their sponsors to enable them appreciate at first hand, the impacts made in the lives of their sponsored children, hence, the Play for Photos (P4P), hence, the importance of these photos and short clip videos to the cherished sponsors of these children.
Felix Apeti added that the importance of these registered and sponsored children in world Vision Programming are numerous to beneficiary communities.
A Registered Sponsored child is equal to the provision of the over 107 boreholes and 10 limited mechanized water systems in West Gonja municipal assembly to serve 47,470 inhabitants with safe potable water contributing to the reduction of diarrhea cases from 15% in 2021 to 10% in 2023.
A Registered Sponsored child is equal to the provision and support to livelihood and processing centers such as the Gari processing center in Alhassan kura (Damongo), Bonyanto dry season irrigated vegetable garden, the ongoing groundnut processing center in Damongo Canteen and many other interventions in West Gonja Municipal Assembly.
Also, a Registered Sponsored child is equal to the establishment of over 40 Community health committees (COMMs Groups) and over 180 Mother to Mother Support Groups to promote quality health care and nutrition in West Gonja
Again, the Registered Sponsored child is equal to the well-furnished 2 –unit kindergarten classroom block in Asanbore community which has brought light and hope to children who never dreamt of seeing a classroom. Thanks to GES for adopting this school into mainstream.
These and many more interventions in West Gonja municipality underscore how important and crucial our Play for Photos (P4P) initiative is, to all gathered here today.
The 5-day event will also see partners engage in screening of children for basic health conditions, issuance of NHIS cards for children of age, menstrual hygiene management among adolescent girls, child hand hygiene behaviour promotion and child protection interventions, among others.
These will be blended with variety of fun games and artistic works to unearth the skills and talents of these children.
“The Children are here to Play. We are here to Participate. We are here to Learn”, he concluded.
During the program , children play various games to show case talents.
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