The three daughters of the President pray before commissioning the building
My Sister’s Keeper Foundation, Ghana, run by three daughters of President Akufo-Addo, namely Gyankroma Akufo-Addo, Valerie Obaze and Edwina Akufo-Addo, has constructed an ultramodern building for Accra based Autism Awareness Care and Training Centre (AACT).
As far back as June 2017, the President’s daughters joined forces with Glam Africa Magazine to hold a fundraising ball to raise an amount of GHC250, 000. The event was also meant to throw more light on autism.
The event was graced by President Nana Akufo-Addo and First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo.
Handing over the new building to the centre, Gyankroma Akufo-Addo said “it is imperative for Ghanaians to be educated about ASD (Autism Developmental Disorder) to stop the stigmatisation that is usually associated with autism.”
“It is sad that, in Ghana, people attribute autism to witchcraft or juju and in the process, ostracize the affected persons instead of providing an enabling environment for them,” she lamented.
AACT
For 22 years, the AACT, run by Mrs Serwah Quainoo, has been taking care of the autistic children. However, in 2017, the centre partnered with My Sister’s Keeper to improve the conditions of the facility in which the children were housed. After extensive deliberations, the Foundation decided that a new building was pertinent to the growth and stability of the centre.
As a result, the Foundation set out to raise over $150,000 in order to ensure that the facility was modernised.
A few years down the line, the new building, a 3-classroom facility with a sensory room and an administration centre, located at Haatso, has been constructed by the three siblings to help in the care for autistic children.
Beyond the edifice, visible to the naked eye, the foundation and infrastructure of the building have been thoughtfully constructed for future expansion works, including a twin L-shaped slab ready for an identical building to go up adjacent to the completed one, with minimal effort.
It also has installed earthworks, water pump, tank and septic suitable for an expansion of four times its existing size, 2nd floor slab for expansion to the next floor and an interior equipped with ceiling fans, air conditioners, electricity, running water and other essential items.
Gratitude
The Chairman of the Board of the Autism Awareness Care and Training Centre, Mrs Serwa Quainoo, was full of gratitude to daughters of the President, and thanked them for allowing God to use them to provide such a facility for the children. She said the new centre will make it possible for AACT to admit more children, and train each of them better because of the additional facilities.
