<<Print>>

Angel-Zoe Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that assists women and juvenile prisoners, on Saturday presented gifts towards the upkeep of inmates at the Juveniles Remand Centre at Labone in Accra. The items donated included 32 bags of rice, a sack of maize, a bag of sugar, assorted drinks and biscuits. Accompanying officials of the NGO, to the centre was Mr Andrew Flaning, First Secretary of Migration Policy of the British High Commission in Ghana, who acted as "Father Christmas" and distributed gifts to the inmates. The items donated by the foundation were contributions by corporate bodies and individuals who felt obliged and decided to put smiles on the faces of the remand juveniles during the Christmas celebrations. It also feted the remand juveniles with packed cooked food which threw them into ecstasy. On Christmas day, Friday, UT Financial Services through the Angel-Zoe Foundation also donated 50 bags of rice, and quantities of assorted drinks for the upkeep of inmates at the Senior Correctional Centre, formerly Borstal Institute in Accra. UT also feted the inmates with packed cooked food. Presenting the items at the Labone Centre, Mrs Abena Asomaning Antwi, Founder and Chief Executive of the foundation said it was a joy to give to the underprivileged especially juvenile prisoners who faced serious constraints. Mrs Asomaning Antwi spoke about the activities of the NGO, which among other things include reaching out to prison inmates to help rehabilitate and properly re-integrate them into society after serving their term. She said the foundation instituted several programmes including; Inmates' Training and Placement Project and Inmates' Emergency Relief Project, which helped to provide pre-discharge orientation for soon-to-be ex-offenders to prepare them for the job market. She named other projects such as the Shelter Support, Inmates' Correspondence and the Christian Outreach as some of the initiatives of the foundation to bring relief to the inmates and staff. Mrs Georgina Mensah, Acting Manageress of the Centre said the institution faced serious financial constraints, which undermined its operations. She said the financial constraints made feeding of the inmates a major problem, adding that government paid only 60 Ghana pesewas per inmate per day as feeding grant. Mrs Mensah appealed to benevolent organisations and individuals to come to the aid of the centre. She also commended Mrs Asomaning Antwi for her assistance. The centre runs four institutions, Boys Remand Home, Junior Correctional Centre, Correctional Centre and Shelter for Abused Children, all of which fall under the Department of Social Welfare. Currently, the centre has 45 inmates who are between the ages of eight and 20.