Executive Director of Our Faith in God Foundation, Janet Oppong (right) receives the items from Country Rep of Akyem Association of Georgia
The Executive Director of Our Faith in God Foundation, an Akwatia based Orphanage in the Eastern Region, Janet Oppong, has cautioned operators of various orphanages not to use the children entrusted in their care as pawns to enrich themselves.
According Ms Oppong, the children have been entrusted in their care for a special reason, and should not be used as a conduit to enrich themselves by misappropriating resources donated to them in the name of the orphans.
Worried about reports of some operators of orphanages selling donated items, she indicated that people who donate to the various orphanages do not do so because they do not have use for their resources. She added that they do so because they feel obligated to support the poor and needy in the society, saying attempts to prey on the children for personal gains will lead to curses on the operators.
“This is not a business; it is an act of God to help people. If you cannot help the kids or you think it is an avenue to gain resources for yourself, then you are mistaking and God will not forgive you,” she noted.
Project
Ms Oppong said this in an interview with the media on Saturday when Akyem Association of Georgia, a group of Akyem people resident in Georgia-USA, donated to the orphanage. It is the second time in a year that the group has donated to the orphanage.
According to Ms Oppong, the first presentation came with some money, which has been used to commence the construction of a dining hall project with for the orphanage.
“Last year, the money they gave us is what we have used to commence the construction of this project (pointing to an ongoing project). We did not have a dinning hall, so we decided to start the construction with that money, and I have applied for a loan waiting for it to come for me to continue with it. Here, our focus is the kids so every support that we get, we invest in the wellbeing of the kids” she added.
She appealed to other philanthropists and groups to come to the aid of the kids, especially as a new academic year is scheduled to commence in January.
“Now that President says they should go back to school in January, our main challenge is with books. We are appealing to people to come and support us with some books,” she said.
Donation
The items donated by the Akyem Association of Georgia include bags of rice, toiletries, assorted canned drinks, bottles and sachets of water, bags of sugar, personal protective equipment (PPEs), an undisclosed amount of money, among others.
Pastor Foster Antwi, head pastor of Akyem Oda based New Testament Baptist Church and country representative of the association, assured the orphanage that he will convey their appeal to the association for further support. He entreated the kids to continue to respect their elders and obey the word of God.
The Associate Executive Director of the orphanage, Mr Adu Sarkodie, expressed the Foundation’s appreciation to the association for their continuous support, assuring them that all the items would be put to a good use.
