The National Commission on Culture (NCC) has joined the Los Abuelos Foundation to launched the “My Favorite GrannyPa challenge” in Accra.
My Favorite GrannyPa challenge is a competition, which is a combination of Granny and Grandpa is to encourage the younger generation to appreciate grandparents by submitting write-ups to express the love they have for them.
The launch was also to commemorate this year’s United Nations International Day of Older Persons (UNIDOP) on the Theme, “Pandemics; Do they change how we address age and aging?”.
Addressing the ceremony, Madam Janet Edna Nyame, Executive Director of NCC, said the competition formed part of the Organization’s duties to make contributions and give support to causes that emphasis on upholding and uplifting the Ghanaian culture.
According to her, the competition was meant to re-echoe the socio-economic values in showing respect, love, and appreciation to older persons for the impact they made on society and also to advocate against all forms of abuse and maltreatment against them.
She inspired winners of the challenge to become ambassadors and fight against all forms of maltreatment towards older persons.
Edna Nyame said the aged population, globally, was confronted with several challenges such as health, social exclusion, and abuse in so many forms, saying “As we advocate for special attention to be devoted to vulnerabilities of aged persons, we call on the public to recognize the role and contribution of older persons in society and give them the needed support.”
Also, Madam Eunice Abban Afari, Executive Director of Los Abuelos Foundation, averred that her Foundation revered older people and saw them as living golden treasures, which must be handled with “tender loving care,” saying that; “As we mark this special day, the Foundation will present various categories of awards to winners of the competition as well as hampers to their respective grandparents. The ultimate winner receives a plaque, cell phone, hamper for grandparents, publication of write up, and a three-day sponsored vacation with grandparents at Villa Cisneros and Spa at Sogakope.”
In another development, Xklusive Aged Foundation in collaboration with its mother Foundation, the Los Abuelos Foundation has celebrated the United Nations International Day of Older Persons (UNIDOP) by giving and putting smiles on faces of some aged persons on admission at the Achimota Hospital as well as the hospital administration itself.
Xklusive Aged Foundation, which is a non-governmental organization, donated the items to the Achimota Hospital and the aged on admission as part of the Organisation’s responsibility towards older people and their humanitarian services to the aged.
Items donated include hand sanitizers, liquid soaps, towels, bedsheets, drinks, packs of toilet rolls, boxes of soap, tissues, a hamper, and an undisclosed amount of money to two patients of the Intensive Care Unit.
According to Mr. Samuel Afari, Director, Xklusive Aged Foundation, the Foundation has decided to help the less privileged and the aged in society who have health complications but could not afford to seek proper healthcare.
Some of these people, he indicated find it difficult to pay for their hospital fees hence, the assistance.
He said: “We are here to support the Hospital’s effort at providing quality health care to patients especially the aged with serious underlining health conditions, and appeal to the government to support organizations like ours that are making impacts on society.”
On his part, Mr. Fredrick Ayipaala, Health Service Administrator of the Achimota Hospital expressed appreciation to the Foundation for the support and bringing joy and smiles to the patients.
The International Day of Older Persons which is celebrated across the world, is to celebrate the significant contributions of older persons and senior citizens to society and national development.
By: PROSPER AGBENYEGA