The Cape Coast castle has been identified as one of the UNESCO Heritage sites in Africa, attracting several tourists from all walks of life. Therefore, the authorities must ensure safety inside and outside the Castle premises. However, begging for alms and other negative deeds by street and needy children in the neighborhood is rampant and tarnishes Ghana’s image.
To turn things around, the chief security of castle, Gbedemor Dankwah, through his NGO, “Children Helpers’ Foundation”, has over the past 22 years been supporting street children to grow into useful citizens. Our news team chanced upon the NGO, supporting about 120 needy children with stationery valued at 130 thousand Ghana cedis.
Information gathered from the castle indicates the effects of poverty among some fisher folks around the castle cause children from the settlement to sneak out of school to the castle just to beg tourists for money to support their educational needs.
Our sources have it that these children even adopted a strategy of throwing stones into the castle premises, wrapped in papers containing handwritten notes appealing for financial support.
Sadly, from the reports gathered, some stones pelted the tourists at the castle. It was on the basis of this and other reasons the NGO, Children Helpers’ Foundation, was founded 22 years ago.
Our news team was glad to see each of the children taking bags of stationery home.
Mr. Gbedemor Dankwah disclosed his vegetable farm and supports from individuals as the main source of funding the foundation.
He therefore called on interested people, the government, and NGOs to come to his aid to do more for the vulnerable in the community. Some beneficiaries disclosed that their lives would have been unbearable without the NGO’s support.
They therefore asked God’s blessings for the NGO so as to get enough supports to cater for their needs.
