Village of Hope Vocational trainees graduate
The Village of Hope Vocational Training Centre at Ayawaso in Accra on Saturday held its fourth graduation ceremony for 24 students with a call on them to pursue their vocations with dedication and zeal for their benefit and that of society.
The graduates, who took courses in sewing, textiles, leather works, batik tie and dye and Kente weaving, took home equipment, materials and other items relating to their vocations.
They also received a cash of GH¢ 100.00 each as a start-up capital.
Mr George Welty, Minister of White Station Church of Christ in the United States of America, and the guest speaker, encouraged the 17 male and seven female graduating students with biblical quotations, to become ambassadors of Christ through whom they had received the gift of training in their vocations.
Mr Welty urged the graduates to note that through the Village of Hope, God had shown his love for benefactors and donors who had contributed to the successful completion of their vocations.
“They are doing this for you because they love you; since you have received hope, it is now your turn to give hope to others,” he stated, adding: “People who know you and see you today will know that God loves you.”
He entreated the graduates to let the love of Christ reflect in their daily lives because “anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new creation”.
“We charge you to make a difference in the world, your churches and in your communities,” he said.
Mr Fred Asare, Managing Director of the Village of Hope, a Non-Governmental Organization dedicated to the upbringing and training of orphans, the destitute and street children in various vocations, congratulated the graduating students on the successful completion of their vocations.
He said though the graduates had been provided with a start-up capital and the requisite tools for their acquired vocations, that was not the end of the story but that their success depended on what they would do with their lives.
“You must utilize your acquired knowledge for your well-being and prosperity; in all things, serve your God and do what is good in his sight.
“You must all the time remember that your future is in your own hands; if you don’t pursue your vocations with dedication and make progress in life, do not blame anyone but yourselves,” he said.
Mr Amos Asumah-Karikari, Public Affairs Manager of the Village of Hope, recounted difficulties involved in the training of persons who had been taken off the street and confined to the centre.
He said Village of Hope was there to provide hope for the hopeless and solicited the assistance of the gathering and general public for support for the Centre.
In another development, Bessah Dzilah, a student who graduated last year but was afflicted with a strange disease and was hospitalized at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital received an industrial sewing machine from Mr Jim Himbrick, a physiotherapist and an Elder of White Station Church of Christ.
While in Ghana to witness a similar graduation ceremony last year,
Mr Himbrick saw Dzilah in clutches and hardly able to walk.
On hearing Dzilah’s story, he recommended some exercises for him, with the promise that if he came back to Ghana and he (Dzilah) had been able to walk without any clutches, he would buy him an industrial machine.
Mr Himbrick’s presentation was therefore a fulfillment of a promise he made to Dzilah following his surprise recovery from that strange disease.
Nii Tettey Kojo II, Ayawaso Mantse, advised the graduating students not to go to sleep with what they had acquired but work hard to earn a decent living.
Source: GNA