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Sagnarigu, Ghana – Rev. Jones Frimpong Kwarteng, Founder of Meridian Community School Complex in the Northern Region of Ghana, has underscored the need for persons with disabilities (PWDs) not to allow their circumstances to define them.
“We must refuse to let our circumstances define us. If you have a negative situation or something that men consider as negative, it does not mean you should remain negative. Something positive can emerge out of that.”
Rev. Kwarteng made this statement when he addressed a gathering of various PWDs at the Edify Community Transformation Project 2024 at the school’s premises at Kanvilli in the Sagnarigu Municipality on Saturday.
The project, which was under the theme: “Charity Fellowship with members of the Tamale Chapter of Ghana Federation of Disability Organisation”, brought together members of the Ghana Blind Union, Ghana Association of Deaf, Ghana Association of Persons with Albinism and the Ghana Association of the Physically Disabled.
The purpose of the gathering was to teach teachers, pupils and parents of the school that disability was not inability, and so they should not stigmatise anyone because of their disability. The gathering was also intended to show love, compassion and have fun with the PWDs through sharing gifts of food and clothes.
Drawing inspiration from the life story of Biblical blind Bartimaeus, Rev. Kwarteng who is also General Secretary of the Kings Christian Ministry, said “Bartimaeus had a negative situation; he did not have anyone to help him. People were passing, they could see, they had sight and could appreciate the things they saw and so on. Fortunately the healer (Jesus Christ) was passing by and asked Bartimaeus what he wanted and his response was that he wants to see.”
Rev. Kwarteng therefore urged PWDS to have hope on no one except Jesus Christ because He alone could turn around every difficult situation in their lives.
“All you need to do is to be focused like Bartimaeus whose only objective was to get his sight restored and kept shouting the name of Jesus Christ till He heard him and granted him his wish. Some of you may not need sight but you can sing, play football or something and that’s the only thing that can put your name on the map. May God help you to achieve that goal,” he preached.
Mrs. Barbara Frimpong Kwarteng, Manager of Meridian Community School Complex, said part of the reason for bringing the PWDs to the school was to “engage and get to know them.”
She entreated Ghanaians to always show love to PWDs wherever they find them because “they are a part of us, a part of our society.”
Meridian Community School is in partnership with Edify, an international Christian organisation, to bring various forms of transformation to the school including business, information and communication technology, and good moral upbringing to the pupils.
“As part of our partnership, we’re expected to give back to the community as a school and so we found a need and based on our resources we decided to support PWDs.”
Mrs. Kwarteng expressed her appreciation to parents of pupils for their immense contribution towards the charitable course in cash and in kind to make it a success.
Abdulai Mohammed Awal, Secretary of the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations, commended the management and staff of Meridian Community School as well as their partners for the love they showed to the disability community in Tamale and Sagnarigu.
By SavannahNewsOnline.Com/Joseph Ziem
