News
Morning Glory Foundation supports 15 widows
• Morning Glory Foundation beneficiaries in a group photograph
Morning Glory Foundation (MGF), a non-profit Christian organisation has donated GHC 1, 000. 00 each to 15 needy widows, including an 87-year-old woman at a ceremony at Dabala, in the South Tongu District of the Volta Region.
The octogenarian, Madam Deborah Viletor, had given birth to seven children but unfortunately lost all of them, with her last surviving child buried this year.
The gesture which formed part of MGF’s second -year of donating to support needy widows and single parents in the society, was also used to provide a two-day entrepreneurial skills training for over 300 female residents atDabala and its environs.
The training include making of pastries, producing liquid soap, local drinks, detergents and arrangement of beads to make them self-reliant.
The trainees were drawn from Dabala, Dabala Junction, Klikpo, Agavey, Deme, Agboglah, Hleve and Agordomey, all in the Agave Traditional Area.
The founder and leader of MGF, Rev Davida Matti-Atapka, said the foundation was started to support poor widows who were left unaided but compelled to toil and cater for their children.
She said it was unfortunate that most of the widows were subjected to inhumane treatment following the death of their husbands, including expulsion from their matrimonial homes.
The founder disclosed that it was incumbent on society to ensure that people received love, the best of treatment, care and support to make them comfortable.
According to Rev Matti-Atakpa, it was refreshing to note that a few days after the training session,some of the trainees had commenced making use of the skills they had acquired.
The Queen of Agave Traditional Area, Mamaga Kakator Agarll, asked the participants to take the skills training they had acquired seriously because elsewhere, others had to pay much for such training opportunities, adding that those who had received financial support from MGF should put the money to good use to enable them educate their children.
She thanked MGF for coming to the aid of the residents in the community, and called on philanthropists andother groups to emulate them to bring development to the area.
History
Delving into the commencement of MGF, Rev Matti-Atakpa said on July 18, 2017 after she had breastfed her child at dawn, she felt a tap on her shoulder with the accompanied words, “Just as you have fed your child with undiluted milk, so must you feed my sheep with the unadulterated word of God each dawn.”
She said this literally gave birth to the formation of MGF with the sole aim of propagating the word of God, but thiswas later extended to caring for widows and single parents.
By Raymond Kyekye
News
Craze for x’mas shopping: Crowded markets, low patronage
Vendors of food and other wares associated with the Christmas celebration have expressed surprise at the low patronage despite the increased number of visitors to some of the major markets across the capital.
Four days to the celebration(Christmas), the markets are filled with various products ranging from food, clothing, livestock and many other stuff, but according to the vendors, patrons are doing more ‘window’ shopping.
The Spectator on visits to some of the markets in the capital, notably the Odawna, Makola, Accra Central Business District, New Town and others made similar observations as shoppers crowd them but did little in terms of purchases.
The paper also observed that majority of vendors, originally selling other wares have switched to product related to the festive season.
What it means is that there are a lot more clothes, food and vegetables, livestock and poultry, toys, firecrackers, drinks of different types and many others on display.
The markets have also stretched to the pedestrian pavement, leaving very narrow spaces for commuters to move about freely.
That, in addition to a few of the female vendors dressed in coloured attires to reflect the occasion, has heightened the euphoria, leaving the low sales as the only headache for the vendors.
Speaking with this paper, they sounded very optimistic, believing that sales would improve in the last few days to the yuletide.
According to them, there was the opportunity to sell beyond Christmas as the New Year celebration offers similar opportunity to trade the same wares.
They urged patrons to throng the markets to shop since prices were quite moderate and products affordable for all.
News
Retirement service for Elder John Ackom-Asante,3 others
Retired Deputy Editor of The Spectator, Elder John Ackom-Asante, was last Sunday honoured by the Church of Pentecost Windy Hills District in Kasoa in the Central Region, with a retirement thanksgiving service, after serving for 26 year as an Elder of the church.
He was honoured with a citation and certificate of service along with three other elders who served in the capacity for various years.
Elder Ackom-Asante was baptised at the Darkuman Central Assembly in 1979 and ordained as an Elder in 1997.
The citation read “Your selfless service, zeal, willingness to relate wholeheartedly and your desire to effect change has gone a long way to shape the lives of many people in the church and the nation over the 26 years of your dedication to the service of the Lord.”
Elder Ackom- Asante held many positions at the Darkuman Central Assembly, Obuasi in the Ashanti Region and Tema, serving in various capacities as youth and evangelism ministry leader and marriage counsellor.
He was the founding member of the Darkuman Christian Fellowship, a member of the Greater Accra Christian Fellowship; member of Bible Society of Ghana; founding member Obuasi Chapter Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship International and founding member of New Times Corporation Christian Fellowship and Chaplain, Methodist University Tema Campus 2009- 2010.
As a professional journalist, Elder Ackom-Asante combined effectively and efficiently his duty as a member and elder of the church and the demands of his profession, with admiration from the church, kith and kin, till his retirement on December
From Alhaji Salifu Abdul-Rahaman, Kasoa
