Hon. Thomas Ampem Nyarko, Member of Parliament for the Asuogyaman Constituency in Eastern Region,has launched a program to distribute free sandals to learners in deprived communities.
The sandals were purchased from the World Shoe Company, located within the constituency.
The first beneficiaries of this initiative were the learners at Agyabui D/A Basic School.
A number of learners in the Asuogyaman District struggle to access essential items like sandals for their education, forcing some to quit school.
Statistics from the 2021 Population and Housing Census (PHC) reveal that 1,215,546 children of school-going age (4 to 17 years) in Ghana are not attending school. Out of that number, almost one million (942,427) children have never attended school.
Additionally, the report indicates that one-third of the household population under 18 years, representing 3,862,259 children, are multidimensionally poor. This report reflects the reality in the Asuogyaman district.
MP Thomas Ampem Nyarko told the media that he observed worsening economic conditions have led many parents in deprived farming communities to struggle to buy sandals for their children, causing some to walk barefoot to school. “The initiative aims to fix this problem,” he stated.
Reflecting on past efforts,Thomas Ampem Nyarko recalled, “In 2015, former President John Mahama launched a free school sandals initiative and distributed about 10,000 sandals manufactured by the Defence Industrial Holding Corporation (DIHOC), formerly the Kumasi Shoe Factory of the defunct Ghana Industrial Holding Corporation (GIHOC).
“Unfortunately, the NPP discontinued the initiative, but many learners in parts of the country continue to struggle to have access to such basic needs. So, I thought it prudent to source these sandals from a local factory in the constituency to distribute to the children.”
The MP added “Now it is raining, so it is very disturbing to see learners walk barefoot or in tattered shoes to school. This is unacceptable.”
In addition to the sandals, the MP also donated solar-powered streetlights to the Agyabui community to help illuminate the area.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Kojo Ansah
