Media engagement on disability reporting – GFDO

When most Journalist think of diversity, they think of ethnicity, race, and sexual orientation. 

They usually overlook the largest minority, persons with disabilities. In the cases of accidents, some journalist don’t report about people who have become disabled. Disability is seen solely as a medical story or an inspirational feature. 

This misrepresent the disability experience which include a uniquely tragic and pitiful life.

According to the Meriam Webster’s dictionary, disability is define as a physical, mental, cognitive or developmental condition that impairs, interferes with or limits a person’s ability to engage in certain tasks or actions or even participate in typical daily activities.

Therefore it can be argued that disability comes in various forms contrary to the knowledge that disability is only link to our physical being. 

So, do you know that albinism is a disability? Do you also know that being very short can be described as a form of disability?  

Disability ranges from psycho social disability to intellectual disability. 

Despite all these forms of disability, it will interest you to know that, in some instances when there is an accident, some journalists don’t report about people who have become disabled as a result. 

They often report about only people who have died or sustain severe injury. 

This among others, have triggered a one day media engagement with the Ghana Federation of Disability Organization, GFDO, and the media on disability reporting. 

The workshop organized in Bolgatanga attracted 8 journalists who represented their various media houses and some of the leaders of PWDs drawn from Bongo, Navrongo and Bolgatanga. 

The communications and media relations officer of GFDO, Adams Abdul-Wahab, gave the analysis on how issues relating to Persons with Disability were reported in 2016. 

He said, about 68 articles were contained in the print media. 

Meanwhile about 185 news stories, documents and features were produced and broadcast on televisions whilst over 200 radio discussions were broadcast. 

He indicated that, out of these figures, about 43 percent of the discussions were on the positive side of PWDs, the remaining 67 percent was reported on the medical angle module of disability. 

Mr. Adams explained that the medical angle module of disability constitutes a person’s impairment situation, and subsequently being declared by a doctor that the person is incapacitated and cannot do anything.  

He said the aim of the workshop is to promote total inclusion of

PWDs in all sectors of development, using the media as the gate way of information. 

Presbyterian Church of Ghana Health Services North organizes Capacity building works

A three day workshop on influencing policy through advocacy has been organized for civil society organizations, CSOs, and some selected media houses in the Upper East Region.

The workshop was organised by the Presbyterian Church of Ghana Health Services North in collaboration with the European Union and Christian Blind Mission, CBM, in Germany. 

About 25 participants attended the workshop in the Bolgatanga municipality.

The objective of the workshop is to build the capacity of the CSOs and the media for enhanced reportage.

On issues regarding maternal mortality, it was also to enhance their knowledge on advocating for maternal health and related issues at the district level.

Speaking to radio Ghana in Bolgatanga, the programme officer of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana Health Services North, Felix Dorgdaa, indicated that, the project is being implemented by Presbyterian Health through the Presbyterian Health Innovative, PHI, project office.

He said, the expected outcome of the workshop was to improve public responsiveness to maternal health care.

The development of the workshop concept was based on the previous projects that were implemented in the past where they worked with a number of community health management committees on maternal health.

Mr Dorgdaa explained that, one of the pillars of the CHIP’s concept was the issue of community health management committee.

However, this has over the years, become defunct and therefore; quality health service delivery at the community level has been deteriorating.

Hence the decision to reactivate some community health management committees in the Builsa north, Binduri and Pusiga districts which are the project areas.

 A facilitator of the workshop, Edwin Batiire, took participants through understanding the concept of advocacy, process of advocacy and developing a simple advocacy plans that can be implemented for improved maternal health care.

He also touched on the relationship between advocacy, lobbying and activism.

GBC                                                           END                                                     

Three charged for environmental related offences- Bolgatanga Municipality

 

Three persons have been arraigned before the Bolgatanga Magistrate Court by the Municipal Assembly for various environmental offences.

  

In February this year, the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council issued a directive to the environmental sanitation office of the Assembly to clamp down on individuals cited for environmental related offences.

The directive comes in the wake of the region scoring zero in last year’s sanitation league table. The three were among six persons charged by the court.

They are Sunday Anabire, Douglas Adombire and Ayindoo Richard aged between 26 and 40.

The accused persons on Thursday appeared before the Presiding Judge Osman Abdul-Hakeem.

The prosecutor, Mr. Evans Bornaa of the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly, told the court that one of the accused, Mr. Anabire was charged with three counts of processing and selling donkey meat without medical certificate, operating in an insanitary environment, and verbally assaulting the environmental officers in the course of discharging their official duties.

Though Mr Anabire pleaded guilty with explanations, his explaations were not taken.

He was however found guilty and asked to pay a sum of seven hundred Ghana cedis.

An amount of five hundred Ghana cedis will go to the court and the remaining goes to the Municipal Assembly as compensation.

In default, he will serve a three month jail sentence. Mr Anabire was also asked to be of good behaviour.

The other two, Douglas Adombire and Richard Ayindoo, both landlords were charged on the same counts for not having toilets in their homes.

They were subsequently charged for entertaining stagnant water behind their houses upon several warnings.

They both pleaded guilty to the charges and were fined inversely by the Presiding Judge. Mr. Douglas Adombire was charged five hundred Ghana cedis.

Richard Ayindoo on the other hand was asked to pay seven hundred Ghana cedis.

In default, the two will serve three months imprisonment.

The court moreover instructed them to provide places of convenience in their homes or face prosecution.

Meanwhile, the prosecutor has been issued with a bench warrant to cause the arrest of the other three that did not show up in court.

GBC                                                             END                                               

IWAH donates books to some selected schools in Bolgatanga

Indigenous Women Against hunger and poverty IWAH has donated assorted books to some selected schools in the Upper Region, Bolgatanga.

The books were in three categories that is primary category, junior High and Senior High Schools.

The books include Novels, non-fiction books, comic books, encyclopias, and dictionaries, among others. 

In all, over 20 schools benefited from the donation. Some of the schools that received the books, include  Kandiga Senior High Technical school, Doba SHS, Nanga SHS, Atampurum B’ JHS, Bolga SHS Bigboss, Zurungu JHS, Zamse Senior High Technical School, Gambigo SHS, Bongo SHS, Gore SH Technical School, Kongo SHS among others.

IWAH’s main aim is to encourage their fellow women to exploit the available resources around them to better their living standard, rather than looking elsewhere for help.

According to the founder of IWAH, Mrs. Akolaa, IWAH is operating in four communities in Bolgatanga Municipality for about four years now. She said they are in Gambibgo, Nangodi, Winkogo and Namoo.

Mrs Akolaa said IWAH is operating with six core principles. Among the six objectives, one is to fight for core support to develop rural communities, women and children including education.

The learning improvement project under IWAH is what they are embarking with the books to encourage the children to learn to read and write.

 

Mrs. Akolaa said IWAH is working in collaboration with another NGO, known as Mothers of Africa, they are the organizers of the books.

According to the founder, her primary aim was to build a library in Gambibgo in honor of her late father, but since the library was not ready, she decided to donate the books to the school children as part of her yearning desire to improve the reading habits of the children in the Upper East Region.

 

Mrs. Akolaa said as a teacher herself, she love reading books so much and would like to replicate the same habit in the children.

She therefore advised the teachers to monitor the children to use the books judiciously and promised that more books were yet to come.

The chairman for the occasion a retired educationist Mr. R A Adjene underscored the poor reading habits of school children, adding that the books were meant to be read effectively, for it is said if a child reads well, he or she is an intelligent child.

GBC                                                                          END                                                  E. AKAYETI

Resurrection Power New Generation Church gives to inmates of Navrongo Prisons

As part of activities marking its 15^th Anniversary Celebration, the Bolgatanga branch of the Resurrection Power New Generation Church, has donated assorted food items and other toiletries to inmates of the Navrongo Central Prisons. 

These include bags of rice, gari, and sachet water as well as boxes of washing soaps and loaves of bread among other consumables.

In addition to the items, the church also gave the inmates a decoder and a satellite dish. 

During the presentation, the Pastor in charge of the church, Kwame Sefa Frimpong, said it has always been the desire of the church to reach out to the poor and the disadvantaged.

Moreover, it is incumbent of Christ believers to give to charity and show love and compassion to one another as clearly stated in the scriptures.

Pastor Frimpong added that Christians are duty bound to reach out to those that are oppressed and in dire need of support. 

 

According to him, the scriptures also enjoin Christians to pay visits to those that unfortunately find themselves in hospitals and in prisons to show them care and brotherliness.

He said the provision of the decoder is to enable them watch sermons and other religious programmes televised on Resurrection Television, RTV, a Christian channel owned by the church. 

He said activities on RTV will get them inspired and bring them closer to God. 

The Public Relations Officer of the Navrongo Prisons Mr. Alhassan Nyankpani received the items on behalf of the 210 inmates.

He thanked the Pastor and his congregation for the kind gesture and promised that the items will be used for its intended purpose.

Mr. Nyankpani however appealed to the church for first aid drugs to equip their infirmary. In a brief Sermon, Pastor Frimpong advised the inmates to live Godly lives and be at peace with each other.

Pastor Frimpong cited the divine Redemptions of Paul and Silas in the Bible who were imprisoned for no wrongdoing and asked the inmates to rely on God since he is the only one that can bring them out of their predicaments.

Interestingly, the 210 prisoners between the ages of 20 to 45 years, some looked dejected while others were joyfully singing praises.

Prayers were said for the inmates especially one them who was down with sickness.