Bolgatanga, July 2, GNA – The Youth Harvest Foundation Ghana (YHFG), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) in Bolgatanga, has presented items to health facilities in the Bongo District and Kassena-Nankana Municipality to help in the fight against COVID-19.
The youth-focused NGO is the latest to join the tall list of organisations that have over the past months donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in the Region to contain the spread of the virus.
The items, valued at about GhC10,000 included; 10 ‘Veronica Buckets’, receptacles, five boxes of examination gloves, 500 pieces of reusable face masks produced by the organisation, 14 gallons of bleach, 10 gallons of liquid soap, and 30 pieces of hand tissue papers.
Ms Priscilla Nyaaba, the Executive Director of YHFG, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency after the presentation, said her outfit saw the need to join the GHS in the fight against COVID-19.
She disclosed that the donation was supported by various donors of ongoing projects of the Foundation, and said “We were able to mobilize some resources to support the GHS in the fight.”
The Executive Director said health professionals were at the fore front in the fight against COVID-19, and underscored the need for them to be well protected and healthy to fight the virus.
“If they are not healthy, the Region and us all are definitely not going to be able to discharge our duties as an organisation,” she said.
The YHFG focuses mainly on Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health, education, agro-business, employable skills, environmental sustainability, and operates in the Bongo, Nabdam, Talensi, Bawku Wes, Kassena-Nankana West and Builsa North Districts.
Ms Nyaaba said “wellbeing and good health” were their core areas, “We see that it is our duty to ensure that young people still have access to reproductive health services even in the midst of this COVID-19.”
She said apart from the gift items, her outfit was running COVID-19 sensitisation programmes on radio with emphasis on how teenagers could keep themselves safe from social vices, and pregnancies while at home because of the virus.
“We do community sensitisation during our field activities, we have posters on COVID-19 pasted at vantage points at the community level just for people to know that the disease is real and they need to protect themselves.”
The Executive Director called on members of the public to adhere strictly to the GHS protocols on the prevention of the virus, and advocated against stigmatizing victims of COVID-19.
Receiving the items on behalf of the health facilities, Dr Josephat Nyuzaghl, the Upper East Deputy Regional Director of the GHS in charge of Public Health, thanked the NGO for the support and noted that collaborative efforts were needed to fight against the virus.
He appealed to members of the public, organisations and philanthropists to continue to donate towards the fight, and encouraged residence of the Region to continue to adhere to the safety protocols to stem the spread of the virus.
GNA