Church of Pentecost Donates to Widows and Orphans

Narration: The Church of Pentecost, Upper East Chapter has donated a number of items to the widows and Orphans Ministry at a ceremony in Bolgatanga. The undisclosed amount of the items which include second hand clothing, pair of sandals, and pieces of wax prints among other materials were being supported by some benevolent organizations and individuals who also donated in diverse ways. The donation forms part of an annual ritual where widows and orphans in the region are brought together to engage in merry making and also give thanks to God for giving them hope and the opportunity to survive despite their neglect in society. Isaac Asare was there for Radio Ghana.

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The event therefore is being celebrated each Christmas season to bring smile upon the faces of the vulnerable, particularly widows and orphans who are often left behind in times of feast and merry making. With Action Aid and a few other donors Widows and Orphans Ministry has trained 256 widows and orphans in various types of skills. Most of the Widows and Orphans’ group have been supported with grinding mills, donkeys, donkey carts and ploughs. Some are also been supported with small ruminants whilst 20 to 25 women gets loans from the office each month. The ministry also supports 100 orphans every year but for the past two years the number has reduced to 50 because of limited funds. It is interesting to note that the ministry has touched the lives of its members by proving accommodation for eight widows who were displaced by the floods. To add up to these remarkable achievements, the widows and orphans ministry has claimed 4 awards including the Zain touching lives awards. The Director of the Ministry, Madam Betty Ayagiba, was grateful to the Church of Pentecost for their continuous support over the years. She also thanked EDIF for supporting her outfit with 250 acre mango plantation farm, two tractors and a KIA truck to facilitate their farming activities. Madam Ayagiba said the ministry currently has a total membership of barely 8,000 widows drawn from the various districts across the region. According to Madam Ayagiba the ministry still faces a number of challenges since the number of widows keeps on increasing with limited resources to cater for them. She however appealed to Civil Society Organization’s NGOs, benevolent institution s and individuals to come to their aid with funding. Madam Irene Asare of the church of Pentecost, Garu chapter encouraged the widows to rise and stand for their rights and depend on God for their survival. She said being a widow is not an opportunity for begging, hence the need for them to forget about their past sorrows and forge ahead to make it in life through Christ. The Area Head, Church of Pentecost Osmane P. Zabre disclosed that the best religion is to take care of the vulnerable in society and appealed to individuals to and organization to help champion the cause of the vulnerable to help empower them in all aspect of life. Mr. Zabre also called on the public to respect the rights of the poor and vulnerable in order to promote inclusion in society. The widows were later feted and presented with some packages..