NEW ASSEMBLY FOR EVENGELICAL CHURCH OF GHANA

The Evangelical Church of Ghana has inaugurated its 33rd General Assembly to mark the handing over ceremony of the General Overseer.

The inauguration was to give the chance to other college members of the Church to share their leadership skills.

The outgoing General Overseer, Rev Emmanuel Nambu called on all Ghanaians to bury their differences and unify to build the nation Ghana.

“ Unity is strength and so let us all unit and be one for the goodness of our country Ghana,” he said.
He therefore urged the incoming executives to work hard and seek strength from the Lord and said when this was achieved, their job purpose would not be felt as it was tedious.

He added that they should not be hesitant to seek advise when they need one since the congregation and the church as a whole was there to support them.

“It is not a shame to seek advise from other members of the church since we are all here to promote the image of the church and to also see to its prosperity. Therefore be open to ask questions when the need arises, ” he said.

The General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, Rev Fred Deegbe told the new exeurtives to see themselves as role models to the youth.

“ You would now be the eyes and ears the youth and so leading your roles responsibly is a sure way of then emulating you,” he said.

He urged the congregation to give their full support to the new executives so they could run their office successfully.
The outgoing executives are Rev Emmanuel K Nambu, the General Overseer, Rev  Peter kumah- Nseakyure as the General Secretary and Rev K K Maxwell Liwangol, the General Treasure

The incoming executives are Rev Daniel Gbande as the General Overseer, Rev Peter kumah- Nseakyure as the General Secretary and Rev K K Maxwell Liwangol as the General Treasure.

Rev Daniel Gbande who spoke on behalf of the other executives promised of a good governance and unity among members.
He also called on the congregation to support them in promoting the image of the Evangelical Church.

JUVINELS NEED HELP

Story: Zainabu Issah
A "juvenile" is a minor, which in most states is a person under the age of 18. When a juvenile violates a criminal statute, the consequences are usually very different from those if an adult broke the same law. Sometimes the Juvenile Court process is more lenient than the adult court, but sometimes it can be more onerous. A juvenile offender can find himself in Juvenile Court if he violates a criminal statute; that is, a state or federal law that allows for violators to be punished by a sentence to jail or prison.

Generally, there are three varieties of offences: Felonies, misdemeanours and infractions, though the terms for these three categories may differ from state to state. A felony is a crime that could result in an adult being sentenced to state prison, usually a sentence of over a year. Felonies include burglary, robbery, weapons assaults, violent sex crimes, murder, grand theft, and sale of any illegal drugs, to name a few.

Misdemeanours are less serious crimes, but can still result in a sentence of up to a year in the County Jail, if committed by an adult. Petty theft, possession of small amounts of marijuana, disorderly conduct, indecent exposure, less serious assaults, and drunk driving are generally misdemeanour offences.

The jail and prison sentences for these crimes do not usually apply to a minor, because he or she cannot be found guilty of a "crime." However, a juvenile appearing in the Juvenile Justice system will be presented with "charges" of violating those criminal statutes, as grounds for invoking the Juvenile Court's authority over the minor. Once invoked, the Court has broad control over the juvenile’s life.

Infractions are even less serious offences than misdemeanours, and include any offence that cannot result in any jail time, but only a fine or administrative consequence. Examples are speeding, parking violations, or failing to comply with administrative regulations pertaining to your home, car or business.

When a juvenile commits a crime, he is charged by a probation officer or a prosecutor in a "civil" (ie, not criminal) petition, alleging that he is subject to the Court's Jurisdiction for having violated the statute. If the charges are proved in Juvenile Court, a judicial finding is made that the minor is subject to the Court's broad control and jurisdiction. The Court’s powers include returning the minor home, imposing formal or informal probation; placement with foster care; enrolment in a special school for juvenile offenders, or even commitment to the State’s Juvenile detention centre, sometimes called “Juvenile Hall” or the “Juvenile Jail.”

This can continue until the minor comes of age, or even until the age of 21 or 25, depending on each state’s laws. Some states have laws allowing that minors 14 or older committing very serious offences may even be transferred to adult court and prosecuted and punished like an adult. It is therefore a mistake to take the Juvenile Court process lightly.

Where children are committed to these institutions, parents and family members are encouraged to visit and help children to reform. This aspect is not easily achieved when the parents themselves are the victims of the children's offence.             

Kofi Adu (not real name) is a 16 year old boy from konongo. He stole three metal scrubs from a friend and  was later arrested and imprisoned.

Because of his actions, he could not inform his parents of his arrest. "It was one woman pastor who decided to bail me. But as at the time I was supposed to be bailed, I had already been arraigned before court and so the CID Officer did  not allow it. He said the complainant wanted me to serve a sentence," he explained.
I asked ," When you were sent to court, did you go with a lawyer?". He replied by saying he was not given one but was sentenced to two years in imprison. I further asked him if he has been visited by any of his relations when he was imprisoned. He replied," I have never been visited by any of my relations. I only get to talk to people when organisations come to visits to know what is happening in the real world."
Eric (not real name) is now 18 years old. He claims to have been imprisoned falsely. He was alleged to rape a girl he fell in love with.
"Because the parents of the girl are rich, they decided to punish me by saying I have raped their daughter," he explained.

He added that he was sent to cells and arranged before court after two weeks.
I asked again," Did you go to court with a lawyer?. He replied he was not given the chance to and his parents were not bothered about it.
As to whether any relation of his has paid him a visit, he also replies " no one has been here to visit me since I came here."

I again asked," would you go back to your family when you are out?. He told me with tears in his eyes that he is yet to make that decision. “My family chose to abandon me here because they do not like me anymore. They did not give me the chance to explain what happened. I have been here for almost two years and I can no longer tell how they look like. They have chosen to abandon me here, so I would do the same," he said.
Kofi (not real name) is 17 and from Ho. He has been imprisoned for two years for stealing a car of a friend.

He also tells me he has never been visited by any of his relations and was not entitled to a lawyer when he was sent to court. He has had no visits from friends and families since he came to the correction institute. He told me he wants to be a soldier when he is released.

One inmate who gave his name as Nii said his parents were divorced and so his mother was the one taking care of him and this four siblings. She later got sick and had to be admitted to the hospital. “As the eldest, I had to search for money to look after her. This is how come I got introduced to theft. My luck run out oneday and I was arrested. Since then I haven’t set my eyes on my family and they have not come to visit me either.

But the question I ask is, "If the parents of these children care less about their welfare, how would they go on with their lives when they are released,? Why are they not entitled to Lawyers even if they are quilty,? What makes them  live this criminal lives even when they have parents to take care of them?.

My interview with them concludes to lack of parental care, peer pressure and even broken homes.Most of them who were not ready to talk to me about why they were in the correctional institution said they were not well taken care of by their parents. Others said they were the ones responsible for their family so they had to do something to survive.

The law of the country also prohibits sentencing juveniles to imprisonment (Art. 346, subsection 2, Code of Criminal Procedure 1960), yet they are imprisoned without even being entitled to lawyers.

Also when children when arrested for crimes, they are not supposed to be imprisoned with adult prisoners but the prison services in the country does not provide the room for these children to be imprisoned. They therefore share cells with adult prisoners before being arraigned before court.

Ghana was the first country to ratify the issues of the right of the child yet little or nothing is done to secure these rights of the children.

A JUVINEL BEING EXCORTED TO PRISON.

LETS SUPPORT RURAL WOMEN- OHEMENG AGYEI.

Story: Zainabu Issah

THE Programmes Manager of ActionAid Ghana, Mr Kwesi Ohemeng-Agyei, has stressed the need for the government, traditional authorities, civil society organisations and all related agencies and individuals to  work to put structures in place at the local and various levels in  support of the course of rural women.

He said there was the need to ensure that the right of women to land and inheritance was guaranteed and also equal access was provided for women farmers and women in the rural communities in decision making processes.

Mr Ohemeng-Agyei stated this at a forum to mark the International Day for Rural Women held in Accra on October 15. The theme for the celebration was; The Role of Women Farmers in the Agricultural Value Chain.

The International Rural Women’s Day is celebrated every year to recognise the role that rural women play in enhancing agricultural and rural development and how to improve food security, to eradicate rural poverty in the country.

He said there was the need to monitor policies related to gender equality, facilitate women’s empowerment and ensure that laws related to the respect of the rights of women were enforced.

He said women in the rural areas generally worked as subsistence farmers to produce food to feed their families and make money for other basic needs, but had little influence over how to spend household income.

“Providing women with better opportunities to grow their own crops for sale, undertake paid work in the agro industry, or take on other paid activities in the rural sector is critical to increasing their bargaining power within the home and also legitimise their control over key material resources,” he said

Mr Agyei further explained that the obstacles faced by rural women undermined their opportunities for success such as access to public and social infustructure, unequal acess to credit and other important resources like land and water.

He therefore advised rural women to make use of opportunities available to them to elevate their status within their families and communities.

The Chairperson for the occasion, Madam Margret Kyei Manu said the role of the woman farmers could not be under-estimated in the agricultural value chain and stressed the need to give them the opportunity to operate in the agricultural value chains for stronger and enormous profit margins.

Rural women comprise more than one quarter of the total world population and out of this number 500 million women live below the poverty line in the rural areas.

Pix: Some women who attended a forum at Amasaman, near Accra to mark the International Day for Rural Women

INSET: Madam Lydia Sasu, Chief Director of Development Action Associaton (DAA) displaying an award she recieved from the Women’s World Summit Forum (WWSF) for her contribution and support to rural women in Ghana.

EXPRESSO DONATES TO BORSTAL HOME

Story: Zainabu Issah


MD of Expresso in suit, presenting the items to the HOME.



Some staff of Expresso, a mobile telecommunication service provider, have renovated two building facilities at the Accra Juvenile Correctional Centre at a cost of GHc 8,000.

The renovated facilities are Saint Monica’s Dormitory, which houses over  20 inmates and the draughtsmanship shop which also used train the inmates to acquire technical and vocational skills.

Additionally, they presented a bag of rice, a bag of beans, a bag of sugar, a bag of gari and 200 exercise books to the institute to help in their training.

Presenting the items, the spokesperson for the group, Mr Emmanuel Afryie Amoako said the presentation which was secured with contribution from individual staff and with the support of management formed part of Expresso’s social responsibility.



Staff of Expresso at the Borstal home,



The Counselor of the institute, DSP Dokumah Constance , commended Expresso for the kind gesture and called for continuos renovation of the institute to make the environment more welcoming to the inmates.

He added that the institute since its extinguishment had not been renovated and this had resulted in most of the facilities in the institute either outmoded or out of use.

He also said because most of the roofs of the dormitories were leaking, whenever it rained the room get flooded, making life unbearable for the inmates.

DSP Constance, also used the occasion to appeal to other organizations to come to the aid of the institute which trains juveniles in vocations of their choice so that they would be responsible members of the society.

The Juvenile Institute formerly known as Borstal home was established in 1945 to reform, rehabilitate and reintegrate juvenile delinquents into the society.

They are also given formal education and workshop training in blacksmith, welding, carpentry, tailoring among others.



ALLURE HEALTH WALK.

Story and picture: Zainabu Issah

Every year over 2000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer with alot more dying every 68 seconds worldwide.

Dr Beatrice Wiafe Addai of Breast Care International  disclosed that the rate at which cancer kills was very alarming and hence the responsibility of every Ghanaian to help fight against it.

Although the disease is primarily found in women,almost one per cent of breast cancers occur in men and also at any age.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women with the exception of another type of cancer known as nonmelanoma skin cancer.

A woman with a personal history of cancer in one breast has a three- to fourfold greater risk of developing a new cancer in the other breast or in another part of the same breast. This refers to the risk for developing a new tumor and not a recurrence (return) of the first cancer.

About 5 per cent to 10 per cent of breast cancers are believed to be hereditary, as a result of mutations, or changes, in certain genes that are passed along in families.

Family history has long been known to be a risk factor for breast cancer. Both maternal and paternal relatives are important. The risk is highest if the affected relative developed breast cancer at a young age, had cancer in both breasts, or if she is a close relative.

Also, the use of  oral contraceptive pills means that a woman has a slightly increased risk of breast cancer than women who have never used them. This risk appears to decrease and return to normal with time once the pills are stopped.



The CEO of Allure Spa, Madam Dzibordi K Dosoo at the walk.



The breasts are however made of fat, glands, and connective (fibrous) tissue which has several lobes,and  are divided into lobules that end in the milk glands. Tiny ducts run from the many tiny glands, connect together, and end in the nipple.These ducts are where 80% of breast cancers occur and the average woman of 30 has one chance in 280 of developing breast cancer in the next 30 years.

She was speaking at the health walk organised by Allure Spa to mark their fifth anniversary celebrations and to also raise awareness about the disease by encouraging women to regularly have their health checked.

The Chief Executive Officer of Allure Spa, Madam Dzibordi K Dosoo says women contribute immensely to the development of the country and it is important that awareness is regularly created to warn them about the disease.

She added that the rate at which cancer kills is very alarming and hence the responsibility of every Ghanaian to help fight against it.
She said cancer increases in the third world countries than in the developed countries because of the daily screening and awareness that is given to the disease.



Some section of women at the walk on Saturday.



Dr Addai however encouraged regular screening exercises amongst women to help control and prevent the spread of the disease.

She also encouraged the government and organizations to invest more in researching into the disease because cancer can be cured.

Studies have showed that regular exercise may reduce a woman's risk of developing breast cancer but have not definitively established how much activity is needed for a significant reduction in risk. One study from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) showed that as little as one and a quarter to two and a half hours per week of brisk walking reduced a woman's breast cancer risk by 18 per cent.



Boonaa Mohammed - For the love

ENERGY MINISTER URGES ELECRICAL CONTACTORS TO PROMOTE EXPERTISE

THE Minister of Energy, Mr Joe Oteng-Adjei, has urged electrical contractors to make good use of their electrical directory in order to advertise and promote their expertise.

He also encouraged them to use it as a tool to connect the entire membership of electrical contractors and the general public.

He commended the efforts of the electrical contractors for their contributions in the safety and reliability of appliances in the society.
Mr Adjei was speaking at the launch of the third edition of the electrical contractors’ Directory by the Ghana Electrical Contractors’ Association (GECA) in Accra.

The directory is to help address the concerns of the general public on the use of electrical appliances.It is also to guide the public in choosing the right electrical contractors from the association.

Mr Adjei also urged the contractors to comply with the norms, ethics and standards that were associated with the electrical profession.
“It is only by doing this that you can win the confidence of the general public and the government who would then use your service for the socio economic development of the nation,” he said.

The Minister of Water Research, Works, and Housing (MWRWH), Mr Allan Bagbin, said organising regular training programmes for the members of the association would ensure compliance with the code of conduct.

He said this was necessary due to the prominent fire outbreaks in prominent public buildings which were mostly due to electrical faults.

LAUNCHING OF THE DIRECTORY.

He added that another sure way of improving on the performance of electrical contractors was to collaborate with other professionals in the construction industry.

“ This would ensure best delivery in your work and also improve on your performance which would inturn  help eliminate fire hazards,” he said.

Mr Abongo also assured the electrical contractors the enforcement of standards for electrical designs and building codes in an appropriate revised Building Regulations of 1996 LI 1630.

The National President of GECA, Mr Joseph Walker, appealed to the MoE and Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to take a look at the importation of inferior cables used for electrical works.
“ Inferior electrical cables used for constructions do not last long and this causes major electrical faults,” he said.

He also requested for the separation of electrical works from the main building works so as to ensure effective installation of electrical cables.

The  Managing Director of the Nexans Kabelmental Ghana Limited (NKGL), Dr E. K. Annan,  who was the Chairman for the occasion said the directory was an effective way of identifying with electrical contractors.
He added that the directory would help identify quality cables for building construction.