Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has impressed on all well-meaning Ghanaians to lend a helping hand to the less privileged, especially street children, whose neglect will have dire consequences for all.
Speaking at the fifth anniversary of the Christ The King Soup Kitchen in Accra, the Vice President said street children deserve protection and care from all and has offered to sponsor four of them through secondary education.
It is estimated that there are about 80,000 children on the streets of Accra without any shelter. This worrying situation motivated the start of Christ the King Soup Kitchen in 2016 with the aim of becoming a resource center for the homeless and the poor.
The soup kitchen provides free meals, clothes, toiletries and also creates a sense of belonging to the beneficiaries. It was initiated by the Christ the King Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Andrew Campbell in response to Pope Francis’ declaration of 2016 as Jubilee Year of Mercy.
The project which began by providing meals for about 15 people daily, now serves an average of 70 children daily. Over the last five years, the project has provided meals for over 300,000 street children especially during the peak of Covid- 19.
Rev Father Campbell said his vision is to build a shelter at Osu dubbed Mother Teresa Soup Kitchen for the street kids.
Vice President Bawumia said streetism is a reality and society cannot afford to leave the children to their fate without lending a hand as it will have negative consequences for all. He appealed to all to help eliminate streetism.
The immediate past Chief Justice, Justice Sophia Akuffo who was among dignitaries who graced the occasion pledged to provide mentorship program for the street children.
