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| Fr Paul Kapochina |
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| The Magazia of the Gambaga Wiches Camp |
Members from the Navrongo-Bolgatanga
Diocesan Caritas led by Fr Paul Kapochina, have made a symbolic food donation
to the Gambaga witches camp at Gambaga in the Northern Region. The food items
valued at the cost of GHc 3,700 included 39 bags of maize and assorted drinks.
The over 80 in-mates at the camp,who are mainly widows drawn from various
communities and districts across northern were fete with cooked foods as they
sing and dance to express their joy and appreciation to the donors. In his
presentation, Rev. Fr Kapochina said the society on annual basis embarks on
such friendly visits to the camp as a way of bringing smile on the faces of the
inmates, who according to him have been neglected by their communities, family
and friends. This, he observed has increased their vulnerability since they are
occasionally made to suffer the pill of abuse, intimidation, deprivation and
harassment when suspected of practicing witchcraft. Undoubtedly these
alleged witches are on moral basis denied access to their civic rights.
Moreover, conditions in the camps they live are
nothing to write home about because access to food, health facilities, portable
water, and other basic amenities are limited. Socially, their rights are not
respected even though most of them are living with their children and
grandchildren. It is at this backdrop that the society has taken upon itself to
attend to their plight by contributing to their survival. Fr. Kapochina said
the Catholic Church has the poor and the vulnerable at heart and would continue
to demonstrate and employ all charitable means to make them feel part of the
society. He said in as much as every citizen has the right to live and enjoy
the basic necessities of life, it was therefore imperative for all to protect,
love and show compassion to the needy when the need arises. Fr Kapochina, who
is the Diocesan Chaplain at the St Vincent De Paul Society of the Catholic
Church called on individuals and other corporate institutions to inculcate the
habit of giving back to society as endorsed by the word of God. He urged the
inmates of the camp to remain steadfast and pray to God to intervene in their
lives. The Magazia of camp on behalf of the in-mates thanked Fr Kapochina and
the Catholic Church for their show of humanity and prayed for God’s blessing on
the church. She however appealed to other bodies to come to their aid. Speaking
to Radio Ghana, the Coordinator of Presbyterian Go-Home Project, Sampson Laal,
said his outfit through an effective re-integration programme has succeeded in
to resettling some of the in-mates to be with their families. Under the said
project, the welfare of the in-mates in the area of health care is given the
needed attention. The only problem he noted was financial constraint which he
noted has to some extent affected their operations. Mr Laal appealed to
concerned bodies to support in that regard. Meanwhile, Fr Kapochina and his
team members paid a courtesy call on the Gambarana, Naba Wini Yahaya at his
palace to announce their presence.
GBC
END
IA/
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| Fr Kapochina with Gambarana at his palace |
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| Myself and some of the alleged witches |
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