The Weija Leprosarium prisoners in Accra received a monetary contribution and several things from students at the Ancilla Basic School in Haatso. The school's corporate social obligations led to the giving of Gh8,000 in cash and many bags of gently used clothing and shoes.
Rev. Sister Paula Bangliebo, the school's assistant headmistress, said the students' gift-giving was intended to help the Leprosarium inmates with some of their basic necessities.
She said that the gift was also a part of the school's yearly custom of having students give gifts in kind and cash to help the less fortunate in their community in observance of Lent.
She continued by saying that at the conclusion of the grace-filled season, the class that raised the most money for the annual charity initiative is chosen to represent the school at the major donation exercise.
According to Rev. Sister Bangliebo, "the Lenten Season is a time of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving." By doing this, we hope to inculcate in these students—who will be the nation's future leaders—a spirit of love and the practise of giving.
Rev. Fr. Andrew Campbell, head of the Weija Leprosarium and a retired parish priest from the Christ the King Parish, commended the students for their kind act. He said that the gift will significantly help with the financial needs.
According to Rev. Fr. Campbell, the Center is now facing severe financial difficulties since convicts are required to live off of the government's Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) program's monthly stipend of thirty cedis (Gh30) per individual.
He considered this to be grossly insufficient and has urged kindhearted people and organisations to support the centre.
In a comparable act, the school gave a needy student at the St. Mark Catholic Church in the Ashongman neighbourhood of Accra a financial contribution of GH3,000 earlier in the week to help with medical expenses.