The centre being opened by Rt Rev. Dr. John Buabeng-Odoom, Bishop of Winneba Diocese, Padmore Baffour Agyapong and others
Compassion International Ghana, a child rights organization, has inaugurated an ultramodern leather training centre at Gomoa Dago in the Central region.
The centre was reportedly built at a cost of $42,361.24 through the partnership between Commission International and the Wesley Methodist Church of Gomoa Dago.
It forms part of the two organizations’ initiatives to help children to develop.
Children in the area between the ages of 10 and 20 are expected to learn how to make shoes, bags and sandals over a three-month period.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the commissioning ceremony at the Gomoa Dago Centre, Very Rev. William Alfred Nyamekeh, resident minister of the Wesley Methodist Church, said about 20 children had already been enrolled at the centre.
According to him, a seed fund of GH¢500 have been given to each of the 20 children to manufacture their own bags, shoes and sandals.
This, according to him, would help alleviate poverty in the community.
Commenting on the rationale behind the setting up of the training centre, Very Rev Alfred Nyamekeh, said it was established to alleviate poverty which is prevalent at Gomoa Dago, a fishing community.
As a result, he said the church in 2009 decided to establish a child development centre dubbed, ‘Dago Methodist Child Development Centre’ to support the children and their parents get out of poverty.
“As a church, one of our core pillars is to help communities come out of poverty,” he said.
He said the church partnered Compassion International, which works with churches at the local level, to improve the wellbeing of children and their parents.
Through the centre, he indicated that the church would provide educational and medical support to the children and their parents, adding that the church has supported children to further their education to the university level.
He disclosed that the partnership between Compassion International and the Church began seven years ago.
Currently, there are 353 Compassion International-assisted beneficiaries at Gomoa Dago, according Padmore Baffour Agyapong, Ghana Country Manager of Compassion International.
He was optimistic the training centre, which has been equipped with state-of-the-art tools, would go a long way in assisting the children to acquire the requisite skills.
By Melvin Tarlue