By Eric Appah Marfo/Samira Yakubu, GNA
Accra, Feb. 17, GNA— MTN Ghana Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of MTN Ghana, on Wednesday donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to some selected Senior High Schools (SHS) in Accra to strengthen their capacity to fight COVID-19.
The beneficiary schools; include Kinbu Senior High Technical School, Salem Senior High School, Accra High School, Accra Academy and Odorgonno Senior High School.
The items distributed are 2,400 pieces of nose masks, 2,000 pieces of hand sanitisers, six washing basins, six thermometer guns and six cartons of carbolic soaps.
Mr Ebenezer Tekpeh, the Education Portfolio Advisor of the Foundation, said the donation would be replicated in other SHSs across Ghana, making a total of 15 schools.
“What we witnessed during our visit to the schools was that they were already observing the protocols and we hope our donation would enhance their efforts to fight the spread of the viral infection,” he said.
Mr Terkpeh said the Foundation had provided financial support of five million Ghana Cedis to the National COVID-19 Support Trust Fund and also supported Noguchi and other Allied Health Institutions in various capacities, all geared towards mitigating the spread of the viral infection.
“We also have plans of distributing PPE to some selected hospitals across the country very soon,” he added and advised the citizenry to observe all the Covid-19 safety protocols to the latter.
The safety protocols include washing of hands with soap under running water, use of alcohol based hand sanitisers, wearing of nose masks and maintaining social distancing.
Mr Robert Vandyck, Headmaster of Salem Senior High School, Osu, expressed appreciation for the gesture from MTN Foundation.
“We really appreciate what they have done for us today. We have always had a relationship with MTN Foundation and they have involved us in various programmes of theirs, including blood donations and the like. We are grateful that they thought about us by giving us these items,” he said.
He said the washing basins were unique because it would not require students to touch it but simply step on the paddle and wash their hands.
“Last week, we also received some items such as soaps, tissues and face masks from the Ghana Education Service,” he said, adding that the School was strict on enforcing social distancing amongst students in the classroom, and had also readjusted the timetable to allow for a shift system amongst the teaching staff.
“We also have someone at the entrance to check the temperature of students and teachers every morning before entering the school so that in case we discover an issue, we would quickly alert any of the polyclinics that the Ghana Education Service linked to our schools so that they take over from there.”
Mr Vandyck encouraged parents to allow their wards to come to school, assuring that the school authorities would ensure their safety.
He assured MTN Ghana Foundation that they would take very good care of the items and use them for the intended purpose.
