Accra-Ghana, Nov. 18, GNA – Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Ghana and some development partners have commemorated the International Volunteers Day (IVD) with school children in the Greater Accra region.
The children were sensitised to personal and environmental cleanliness by KOICA through its World Friends Korea (WFK) Volunteer Program, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Peace Corps, and UN Volunteers.
The engagement, which took place at the Dawhenya Cluster of Schools Basic “1” and “2”, Dawhenya Methodist A&B and Dawhenya D/A Basic School, was to help shape and raise healthy pupils as the bedrock for inclusive and high-quality education.
Mr. Dong Hyun LEE, KOICA’s Country Director, said this year’s commemoration with head teachers and the children resonated with their development programmes, highlighting their commitment to deploying volunteers to developing countries under the World Friends Korea (WFK) Program.
He donated personal hygiene items, including soaps, toilet rolls and sanitizers worth $7,000 to both the pupils and the school authorities.
Miss Jo Anne Yeager, Acting Country Director, Peace Corps Ghana, said the volunteering activities of Peace Corps reinforced the bilateral relationship and culture exchange between Ghana and the United States of America.
She said: “The Corps is enthusiastic about promoting hygiene in schools through the provision of WASH facilities and public education.”
Madam Rita Arhin, Headteacher for Dawhenya Methodist ‘B’ School commended the volunteers for the support and the provision of ICT facilities to the schools.
The International Volunteer Day is observed annually on December 5, and it is a United Nations initiative designed to inspire volunteer-involving organisations and individuals to champion volunteerism.
The Day also aims to encourage governments to actively support volunteer efforts and acknowledge the invaluable contributions of volunteers toward the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on local, national, and international scales.
KOICA Ghana supports and executes development programmes in four key sectoral areas: Public Health, Agricultural & Rural Development, Education, and Governance. Among their ongoing flagship projects is the Implementation of the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) in Ghana, designed to enhance health security measures.
