Catholic Church assists 80 needy students
Eighty students drawn from all the eight archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Accra were on Wednesday awarded scholarships under the late Archbishop Dominic Andoh’s Education Endowment Fund.
The 80, who were all brilliant but needy students included beneficiaries in Junior High Schools, Senior High Schools and tertiary institutions in the country.
The Fund was established 12 years ago to assist needy but brilliant students to realize their potential in their chosen vocations.
Very Rev Francis Adoboli, Chairman of the Fund, said the Late Archbishop established the fund out of his love for education, especially for the needy in the Catholic Church.
He noted that few years back many of the beneficiaries were pupils in the basic school, but the managers of the Fund had now extended it to cover students from the Senior High Schools and the tertiary institutions, in order to assist more needy people.
“This has, although spread the wings of the funds to cover more students, it has also increased the quantum of money we now spend on our beneficiaries”, he said.
Very Rev Adoboli, who is also the Vicar General of the Accra Archdioceses, said contributions towards the Fund came mainly from the parishes and other friends of the fund.
He said a total of GH¢7,600.00 was in debt as people who pledged contributions towards the Fund last year had failed to redeem them.
He used the occasion to honour 50 friends of the Fund for their dedications and commitment towards its (Fund) activities since its establishment 12 years ago.
Most Rev Charles Palmer-Buckle, Archbishop of Accra Archdiocese, appealed to members of the Catholic Church and other well-meaning Ghanaians to contribute generously towards the Fund to ensure its sustenance and growth.
He appealed to the students not to waste the money spent on them by studying very hard to justify such investments in them.
He pledged the commitment of the Catholic Church towards the delivery of good education in the country and cited the rebranding of Social Advance Institute (now) Catholic Institute of Business and Technology as an example.
Mrs Susan Adu-Aryee, Country Director, World Education Incorporate, urged the beneficiary students to see education as one of the most valuable assets anyone could give them and study harder.
“People can strip you of anything you could possibly have but there is just no way they could strip you of your education”, she said.
She charged Christians to make the education of the needy their priority in an effort to reduce streeetism, armed robbery and other social vices.
She appealed to them not reject their parents because of an impression that they (parents) failed to cater for their academic needs.
An amount of GH¢10,195.00 excluding pledges was realised after an appeal for funds.
Source: GNA