Potter’s Village gets CSOs Youth Sub-Platform on SDGs support to fight Covid-19

The Youth Sub-Platform of the Ghana Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) Platform on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on Friday December 19, presented some Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) to support and empower the children of the Potter’s Village Orphanage located at Dodowa in the fight against Covid-19.

The items which included customized fabric nose masks for both adults and children as well as assorted stickers boldly inscribed with educational messages which reinforces the Covid-19 fight, the need to strictly adhere to its health protocols to remain safe always.

Some of the messages displayed on the stickers read: “wear your mask”, “signs and symptoms of Covid 19”, “wash your hands with soap under running water”, “how Covid 19 spreads” and “no need to stigmatize, be your neighbours’ keeper” among others.

Mr Joseph Kobla Wemakor, the Co-convener of the SDG Youth Sub-platform in Ghana who presented the items averred that the gesture seeks to complement government’s efforts to stop the spread of the virus and reduce its adverse impacts especially at the time the world is on the verge of witnessing the second wave of the pandemic.

Addressing the orphanage at a brief ceremony prior to the donation, Mr Wemakor who doubles as the Executive Director of Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG) urged the children to do their bit by strictly complying with the health measures set by the World Health Organization and the Ghana Health Service to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

“Covid is real, you must endeavour to practice the washing of hands regularly with soap under running water, cover your nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing with a disposable tissue, keep a distance of at least two metres from people, and use hand sanitizers often to stay safe from the respiratory disease.

The donation was received by a staff on behalf of the orphanage who pledged that it would be put to good use for the benefit of the children.

The presentation was made possible through the kind support of the Ghana National Civil Society Organization Platform on Sustainable Development Goals, (umbrella body of over 400 CSOs working on SDGs in Ghana) under its special CSO COVID-19 Fund powered by contributions made by its members.

The initiative which formed part of the second phase of interventions by the benevolent platform was geared towards relieving the plight of the less privileged as a way of complimenting government’s efforts and the global goal of flattening the COVID-19 curve and its eradication.

Under its first phase, the platform supported the distribution of food items, medical supplies, clothing, and toiletries to aid the vulnerable groups such as People Living with Disabilities (PWDs), Street Children, Aged/Widows and the mentally challenged.

About the CSO Platform on SDGs

The Ghana Civil Society (CSO) Platform on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was established in October 2015 to ensure more coordinated civil society efforts in achieving the SDGs in Ghana.

The CSOs platform was institutionalised in May 2016 and includes more than 400 member organisations, consisting of coalitions, associations, unions, community-based organisations, local, national and international non-governmental organisations, and religious groups.

Membership cuts across the 216 districts of Ghana and is divided into 17 SDG sub-platforms, one for each of the 17 goals in addition to the Youth Sub-Platform.
Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG) is a member of the platform and the Co-convener for the Youth Sub-Platform.

Vision and Mission of the Platform
The vision of the CSOs platform is to be the coordinating platform for CSOs in Ghana in pursuit of achieving the SDGs by 2030.
The CSOs platform’s mission is to bring civil society organisations across Ghana together to foster joint efforts, partnerships with key stakeholders and effective advocacy for achieving the SDGs at the national, regional and international levels.

Source: HRRG