By Sis Cynthia Prah
THE Accra East Regional Council and Court of the Knights and Ladies of Marshall and the Marshallan Relief and Development Services (MAREDES), a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) have presented one million Ghana cedis (GHc1 million) worth of books to selected basic and senior high schools in the country.
The books, which were made available through the support of Books for Africa, a US-based NGO that seeks to “end book famine in Africa” include text books in General Science, Mathematics, Social Sciences, Technical Skills and reference materials.
A total of 22,000 copies of the books were distributed to 27 schools at a ceremony on April 4, 2016, at the Marshallan Multipurpose Centre in Okponglo, Accra.
The beneficiary schools were selected from the Greater Accra, Western, Central, Upper West, Upper East and Northern regions.
In a welcome statement, the Regional Grand Knight, Worthy Brother Samuel Kingsford-Arthur expressed the hope that the Books Project, which he initiated will help “advance knowledge, enlarge the world of beneficiaries and particularly those who read them and bridge the literacy gap” in the country.
“These educational publications made up of science, mathematics, social studies, reading and reference materials are headed for the once-empty library shelves, in the classrooms of selected rural schools and into the hands of children, many of whom have never before held a book,” he noted.
W/Bro Kingsford-Arthur expressed the hope that the books would enlarge the world of the beneficiaries, especially those who read them.
He thanked Books for Africa for making the Books Project of the Noble Order a reality and saluted all those who contributed in diverse ways to ensure the successful implementation of the Books Project initiative.
The Executive Director of MAREDES, Sir Kt Derx Baffour, was hopeful that the beneficiaries would be challenged to gain more knowledge from the books and help them to strive for the development of the personalities.
He urged the books would help the beneficiaries to avoid greed and selfishness and help them to uphold high moral standards.
Sir Kt Baffour emphasized that MAREDES will continue to deepen and strengthen its commitment to the educational needs of young people in the country adding that the Books Project is a clear testimony to that.
Through its flagship programme, “Support for Girls in the study of Mathematics”, he said, MAREDES had distributed more than 10,000 mathematical sets to girls in Junior High Schools across the country.
According to him, MAREDES would organize a workshop later this year for mathematics teachers with the aim of upgrading their teaching skills and to introduce them to current trends in the teaching of the subject.
Other activities
Sir Kt Baffour, under whose leadership the MAREDES was established, noted that the organization had undertaken a number of charitable activities to support the needy in the Ghanaian society.
He cited the donation of GHc1.2 million worth of medical equipment to medical institutions; relief items to victims of conflicts, jumbo-sized water storage facilities to the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons and the Akropong School for the Bling as well as organizing medical outreach programmes to marginalized communities.
Dignitories
In attendance at the event were the immediate past Supreme Knight, Sir Kt Joseph Ekow Paintsil, Sir Kt Albert Essien, former Group Chief Executive of ECOBANK Plc; the Deputy Supreme Kt. W/Bro Ambrose Yennah; the Grand Advocate and board member of MAREDES, Respected Lady Sis Elizabeth Anderson-Yeboah and the Accra East Regional Noble Lady, Respected Lady Dame Amo-Adaare.
Also in attendance were the Regional Grand Knights for Accra West and Tema regions of the Knights of Marshall, W/Bro Peter Kofi Wireko and W/Bro Paul Agyiri; Bro Charles Nouriyee, Deputy Accra East Regional Grand Knight; Bros. Rev Frs Francis Destiny Amenuvor and Mark Nana Yaw Asare.