VOLUNTEER'S HEALTHY RECIPE

Bolognaise Stuffed Peppers - A healthier way to eat bolognaise!

by April Shacklock

1.    Shallow fry about 25g of ground beef until it turns brown.

2.    Add bolognaise sauce to the beef and simmer until the consistency is thick.

3.    Hollow out the pepper and then cut in half length ways.

4.    Shallow fry the pepper halves, turning

     once to heat the pepper and soften it

     a little.

5.    Stuff the pepper halves with the bolognaise and sprinkle with cheese if desired.

6.    Serve and enjoy!

Serving Tip: Serve with a side of salad or French bread.

KOTOKURABA MARKET WILL BE CONSTRUCTED!

by April Shacklock

 

During his ‘Thank you’ Tour on Friday 17^th August 2012, President Mahama stood on the bare building plot and reassured the people of Cape Coast that Kotokuraba Market would be constructed!

The main aim of his tour was to extend his hand and thank the people of Cape Coast for their participation in the late President John Atta Mills’ funeral. Accompanying him on his ‘Thank you’ tour was Kwesi Ahwoi, Minister for Food and Agriculture, Mr Mike Hammah, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Kwabena Adjei, National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress and Ama Benyiwa-Doe, the Central Regional Minister.

Each town welcomed the new President and his entourage in a unique way. At Kasoa, The Young Seed Academy took the President on a marching band parade through the streets to welcome him before the speeches begun. During the speeches at Kasoa women from the audience took to the floor to dance and celebrate. The President explained it was important to him to start the tour in the central region as it was the home of the late President Mills. His final stop in Cape Coast Victoria Park was the most exhilarating. It was like a colourful durbar as the chiefs of Cape Coast paraded around the square in their finest attire and entertainers pleased the crowds before the President arrived.

 

As well as thanking the people for their respect towards President Mills, President Mahama was also keen to address issues of the future which he recognises are at the forefront of society’s mind. Under a blazing sun which was baking the land dry, President John Mahama promised the traders of Kotokuraba that this land would soon be fruitful again. The Kotokuraba Market has been a subject of debate for many years now. But on Friday 17th August, we were told that the President has the paperwork for the market’s funds sitting on his desk. President Mahama said he regrets that President Mills cannot be here to sign the documents, because this was a project dear to his heart as it will completely revitalise his home community.

 

Currently, the site of the project is bare and unsightly after demolition took place to remove the old market stalls. It has looked this way for so long now that the community had lost confidence that this area would once again be a sight of business. However, as the crowds gathered to hear President Mahama’s word of assurance, the community celebrated and faith was restored into the faces of the market women. The President must have sensed pessimism in the audience as he emphasised his commitment to the project: “But I wish to assure you as your son that I will very quickly sign the documents so that the money is made available for the project to take place.”





 

With the December elections looming, it is especially important that the people believe Mahama will see this project through and at least begin construction before December 7^th. Just providing this market alone could guarantee the National Democratic Congress many votes, this is how passionate the market women of Kotokuraba are to see their market built. Elsewhere on his tour he directly addressed the December elections, appealing to the people to behave peacefully: "God will continue to be with all Ghanaians to have a peaceful and respectful election that will be admirable to all in Africa". He also asked that the other political parties steer away from defamation and insults in their upcoming campaigns to help keep the peace in Ghana during the election period. President Mahama was very gracious towards the other parties including the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Convention People's Party (CPP), People's National Convention (PNC) and the Progressive People's Party (PPP). He thanked them for their conduct during the mourning period of President Mills as they all suspended their campaigns during this time.

Another announcement which was greatly celebrated by the people of Cape Coast was about the Cape Coast Stadium. Mahama said the stadium will be built by the Chinese Government as a memorial gift to the late President Mills. The plans for the stadium are already very advanced, the Chinese government have agreed to the financing, the Ghanaian government have approved the design and soon the people of Cape Coast will be asked to join the President to cut the sod for the Cape Coast Stadium project to commence. 

It was not only these announcements which caused the crowds to ripple with excitement however, at every town he visited he was greeted with more and more excitement. Everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of Ghana’s new President whilst shouting their praise and cheering. The security personnel had a tough job on their hands! All the energy seemed to be positive, so it appears Cape Coast has accepted President John Dramani Mahama as their son. But the December elections will tell if the people of Ghana have the belief that he will provide the country with as much as President John Atta Mills did.

 

As the President continues his tour to the western region, then on to promoting his policies, the market traders of Kotokuraba will only be waiting for one thing, for the builders to begin work on their market.





UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST TO GRADUATE MEDICAL DOCTORS NEXT YEAR

By: April Shacklock

 The School of Medical Sciences of the University of Cape Coast will next year  graduate her first batch of Medical Doctors in Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery.

The Vice Dean Prof. Gladys Amponsah, has disclosed that She made this known at third White Coat Ceremony which saw 48 students making the transition from medical student to medical professional. 

The White Coat Ceremony is a symbolic action of robing the students in a traditional white doctor’s coat to mark the beginning of their progression into clinical health sciences. The students will be starting their placements at the Central Regional Hospital this week. The White Coat Ceremony originated in the USA in 1989, but has since become tradition across the world and UCCSMS is proud to be hosting its third White Coat Ceremony, especially as it is the only institution in Ghana to carry out these ceremonies.

The service not only celebrated the fresh students who were about to embark on their journey, it also celebrated the huge success of the current medical students who are already working in hospitals. To put the students’ anxiety at ease they were assured that those who received their white coats in 2010 and 2011 have successfully completed their years of clinical placements.

The Dean of UCCSMS, Professor Harold S. Amonoo-Kuofi also gave an inspiring welcoming speech to both the students and the audience. There was a large audience for the event, compiled of members of faculty, distinguished members of the health service, as well as press and family members of the students. The Dean outlined the significance of the white coat and what it should represent to its beholder. The white coat creates an image of having a serious purpose, their medical duties. When wearing a white coat, a person should feel honoured and compassionate towards every patient. Most importantly, it is a visual reminder of the pledge, ‘do no harm’.

The audience was offered an insight into the learning process of the medical students, as the Dean explained how they manufacture their modules to have sophisticated, problem-based learning at the centre to promote critical thinking. They are also particularly proud of their unique module, Personal & Professional Development. This teaches students the highest standard of both ethics and education. Students and graduates of UCCSMS will always act in their patients’ best interests. The university programme is designed to simultaneously promote physical, emotional and intellectual growth in their scholars through working autonomously and as a team.

It was clear to see why UCCSMS is one of the best schools in Ghana and why they have reason to be so proud of their facilities and students. They have invested in everything possible including; quality books in the library, ICT services, wifi, high-level laboratories and an e-learning platform. In fact, UCCSMS’s reputation is exceeding the borders of Ghana, many West African countries dream of having facilities such as those at UCCSMS. Recently, a new medical school in Nigeria took a copy of UCCSMS’ blueprints in order to be able to exactly replicate the standard of learning in their school.  UCCSMS really is a pioneering institution Cape Coast should be honoured to possess.

Thigh quality of teaching and facilities in UCCSMS will provide the students with the knowledge and experience to practice medicine anywhere in the world, although we hope our students will want to stay in Cape Coast and improve the lives of our community. 

The ceremony also welcomed guest speaker, Dr. Eric Asamoah, who is part of the Medical and Dental Council in Ghana. His speech was a fantastic representation of the entire ceremony, a celebration conducted with good humour and respect towards the medical profession. He described the relationship between doctor and patient as a ‘social contract’. The patient entrusts the doctor with their body and mind, in return the doctor promises their good will, knowledge and medical services. After all you cannot succeed as a doctor on good grades alone, you must also be able to build a relationship and show compassion towards your patient. Amongst all the medical professionals who spoke during the ceremony, compassion was a key word in their explanations of acceptable practice.

Dr. Eric Asamoah also reminded us that although medicine has come a long way, for example the suppression of Smallpox, there is still a lot of work to be done by our health service with diseases such as AIDS and tuberculosis in our country.

Finally, the students were ready to receive their coats from their mentors after hearing the informative and inspiring speeches of the chairman, Dean and the guest speaker. The faces of the mentors were filled with pride and expectation, whilst the students showed their gratitude at being able to be part of the ceremony. From now on, whether literally wearing the white coat or not, these people will think and act like medical professionals.

Dr. E. K. Atipui then administered the School of Medical Sciences Medical Students’ oath. The students vowed to practice, cultivate, remember, cherish, respect, and be compassionate. The future of Ghana’s health service was in that room promising to help us now and in the future, it was a moving experience to witness such devotion.

Central Press spoke to one student after the ceremony to see how she felt now she had officially been given her white coat. Jemima Owusuaa Yeboah said she felt ‘excited and was looking forward to working in the hospital as a professional and hardworking doctor’. These feelings were shared by all the students at the ceremony, any nerves or uncertainties were buried beneath their passion to succeed.  

UCCSMS’s third White Coat Ceremony was an opportunity for the school to show the public the prestigious progressions they are making as well as to celebrate the success of the Class of 2015. We wish the students good luck in their future studies and look forward to celebrating their graduation in three years!

MTN GHANA ENDS 21 DAYS OF Y’ELLO CARE

By: Afua Serwaa  Boateng (MTN Corporate Communications )

Some participants at a workshop

MTN Ghana, the leading telecommunications company in Ghana officially closed its annual 21 days of Y’ello Care at a colorful ceremony held at Labone Senior High School last Thursday.

MTN Staff Volunteers engaged Business Students of Labone SHSin a forum where they shared insights on the benefits of savings and investments. Students at the forum were encouraged to adopt the principle of savings and investments early to guard their future. Taxation and how the tax system works in Ghana was also discussed.

Participants expressed their appreciation to MTN for making practical some of the theories they are currently learning in school.

Earlier in the week, MTN staff Volunteers engaged a number of institutions including the GIMPA business school. The General Manager for MTN Business Mr. Eric Nsarkoh, led discussion on “how Small-Scale and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SMEs) can be transformed in a technological Era”

Another session was also organized for Educational Accountants in Accra on how they could adopt the Mobile Money bill payment system to facilitate the payment of school fees by students in their various institutions.

Female managers at MTN also hosted a number of female students from selected Senior High Schools and tertiary institutions at a career fair held at its headquarters at Ridge in Accra.  Depending on their areas of interest, these young female students were assigned to mentors where they had the opportunity to work with them for a day.  The program was under the theme: “Girl Child Initiative & Career Fair”.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Mr. Richard Acheampong, General Manager Marketing Services said, “I am happy that through 21 Days of Y’ello Care MTN Ghana has engaged with a great number of stakeholders on various topics”

“For us at MTN, education is key to the development of this country that is why we have committed our resources to transfer skills, share knowledge and  build capacity among various stakeholder groups across the country” he added.

Mr. Acheampong also used the occasion to appreciate various stakeholders who supported Y’ello Care activities with their time and resources. He urged all MTN staff to continue in their efforts to impact their communities with the knowledge they have acquired through education to support the development of the country.

The 21 Days of Y’ello Care is an annual community enhancement programme which enables MTN staff across all 22 operating countries to set aside 21 days in the month of June from (1^st – 21^st) to volunteer and undertake community upliftment projects in the communities in which it operates.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

The Global theme for this year is “Investing in Education”, and the sub theme for Ghana is “Education – A Tool for Development”.

PARKS & GARDENS UNDER RESOURCED TO PREVENT TREE DISASTERS

 Hersey Liu

A tree that fell and killed a mother and a son

The Cape Coast Metropolitan Director of the Department of Parks and Gardens Obeng Assimah has disclosed to CENTRAL PRESS that his department lacks the necessary equipment to prevent tree disasters during rainstorms.

 He said the department is under resourced and therefore cannot determine which ageing trees need to be  cut down to prevent them from endangering properties and lives.

However, before this critical question was to be answered, the personnel in the Department of Parks and Gardens raised yet a bigger concern, which was potentially an implication that the tragedy on May 19th may not entirely be an accident. “Because we are under resourced, it is difficult for us to maintain the conditions of the trees in Cape Coast.” Mr. Obeng Assimah told us after the accident took place, “For example, we did not have a pruning gun to cut the branches of the dead trees, or motor vehicles to go around and exam which trees need to be pruned or cut.”

He expressed the difficult situation that the department was facing. Because of the limited budget, many field works could not be accomplished, and staff members were unable to fully understand the conditions of trees in Cape Coast. When asked that whether they were aware, before the accident that the giant tree fell at Pedu junction was life threatening, Mr. Obeng Assimah suggested, “the falling tree accident was a total surprise for us.” He added, however, “We learned the residents swept the rubbish and gathered them underneath the trees, and bent them. That could be why the trees fell.”

The Department of Parks and Gardens was also unable to identify, very likely due to the shortage of equipment, the potentially dangerous spots for trees falling in Cape Coast. At the same time, Mr. Obeng Assimah did advice the residents to “move away from old trees when there is a storm”.

The heavy rainstorm sweeping through Cape Coast on May 19^th 2012 caused a giant tree to fall by the street side killing a young mom and her 14 year-old son in the store.

Right across the street from the Pedu elementary school, lay the broken branches and chunks of wood, blocking half of the traffic lane. The messy scene was caused by the heavy and powerful rainstorm that took place on May 19^th 2012. A tall old tree with an estimated height of 12 meters, was knocked down by the fierce wind that lasted for roughly one hour, causing the tragic death of a Nigerian mother and her son who was only 14 years old.

According to the eyewitness at the scene, the mother and the child were hiding inside their T-shirt store when the storm hit this area. “This huge tree by the road was shaking in the wind. Many pedestrians and store owners were running away from the tree, in fear of it falling.” Said Mr. Samuel Okyeire, a store owner selling on the same street with the Nigerian woman. “She and her boy closed their store and were hiding inside. When the tree started to fall, we screamed to them but they did not hear. The tree was then smashed into the store while the mom and the boy were still inside.”

The brutal rainstorm left a rather brutal and chaotic accident scene. The 12-meter tree fell across the main road, fortunately without hitting any automobiles passing by, but smashed right into the iron stall and torn it apart, as if an over-weighted giant stepped upon a small tin can. The mother was found dead immediately, but the boy was breathing slowly when the nearby store owners arrived and attempted to rescue him. The roads were blocked entirely by the falling tree, so the crowd took a short cut and sent the boy to the nearest hospital immediately. However, the injury from the accident was so severe that they lost the young boy on their way to the hospital. The neighbors managed to contact the father, who was working in Nigeria at the time, to return to Ghana.

Despite this sad and unexpected tragic accident, Alhaji Yusif Farouk Adamu, the Metropolitan Coordinator of National Disaster Management Organization in Cape Coast, commented that this rainstorm that started around 4pm in the afternoon, did not cause any other injuries aside from this case. He suggested that the cause of these tragic deaths was due to the fragile branch of this aged tree, which was not strong enough to withstand such a heavy storm. When asked whether planting trees around the neighborhood could potentially create danger or threats to people who live around the area, he explained, “We need more trees to serve as wind breakers and absorb energy from the storm, but at the same time, ensure that old and weak trees or branches are to be removed. More planning needs to be done to prevent residents from living around the dangerous spots.” This rainstorm raised a critical question, as well as a challenge to both the Disaster Management Organization and the Department of Parks and Gardens, at the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development in charge of tree planting and safety. The balance of planting trees to provide windbreakers for the city of Cape Coast, versus examining and removing the ageing and life-threatening trees to ensure neighborhood safety, needs to be achieved urgently.

For future prevention of such accidents caused by heavy storms, Alhaji Yusif in National Disaster Management Organization also suggested that residents “should not wait for support but get prepared before the storm visits” and “find families and friends who are living at high hills or open areas”, so in case of the flood or storm, they are able to move around freely and avoid the accidents. He also emphasized that education to the local community would be the key focus for the raining season and the locals needed to be taught how to escape from disasters.

In terms of the future supports that could be provided by the government, the Department of Parks and Gardens suggested that despite the limited resources, they advise the residents to contact the department if they perceive any potential dangers from the surrounding trees. The department will try its best to arrange a field visit and cutting of the trees accordingly. However the department also made the plea to the local government to “provide more resource for the department”, so they will be better equipped and more prepared for the prevention of future accidents.

Alhaji Yusif from National Disaster Management Organization also reassured the residents that “The rescue team is prepared” in case future accidents occur. At the same time, he expressed his genuine hope that with the cooperation of Disaster Management Organization and Department of Parks and Garden, as well as the education for disaster preparation for the locals, tragic accidents like this could be avoided in the future for the residents of Cape Coast.

90% OF DRIVERS DO NOT WEAR SEAT BELTS IN CAPE COAST

 

By Arabella Anderson

Seat belt

Over two days, CENTRAL PRESS monitored the amount drivers wearing seat belts, in two separate locations. The first Location was an intersection at Pedu Junction, where out of 213 drivers observed 12 were wearing seat belts.

At the second location Cape Coast University, The incidents of drivers wearing seat belts were higher then the intersection. Here only 143 drivers were counted, and 27 of them were wearing seat belts. Still this is significantly low when you consider that it is in fact against the law for anyone in the vehicle not be wearing a seat belt.

The Central Regional Manager at the National Road Safety Commission, Stephen Anokye quoted that the law states any driver or passenger in a car over the age of 18 is responsible for their own safety and is required to wear a seat belt. If they disobey this law, they can be fined from 1200 to 2500 Ghana cedis.

Mr.  Anokye denied that the disregard for road safety and the law has anything to do with lack of education. He listed a large variety of ways in which his commission ensures people are fully informed on the laws. This includes road safety seminars at schools, weekly demonstrations on television and over the radio. Despite this he is aware that the law is rarely acknowledged and believes it is as simple as ‘the drivers refuse to obey.’

 Of course, it must be acknowledge that while the drivers may well be aware of the Law it is obvious that law enforcement officials are rarely enforcing it. On the first day of conducting the survey, I did witness a driver being pulled over and questioned about not wearing a seat belt but I had the distinct feeling that this had more to do with my presence and cause more then anything else. The officer seemed to be making quite a show of this one arrest out of the 201 other civilians I had seen within that hour breaking the law.

Mr. Anokye says that his outfit can educate and instruct as much as possible, but the police are in charge of the arrest and it is the duty of the court to follow up on the case and ensure the defendant attends court and carries out their sentence. On this topic he openly admits that personal connections commonly affect the carrying out of proper legal protocol. He says ‘ in Ghana we are like a family’ according to Anokye if a person gets in trouble with the law they or someone close to them who has a connection with someone in law enforcement will use this connection for their benefit and avoid a proper punishment.  He reveals ‘it is hard to turn them down.’

Hard or not, referencing personal connections above the law are an abusive of power and illegal in itself. The seat belt rule is in place for a reason. Seat belt save lives. While a connection with a police officer may help you avoid a fine for not wearing a seat belt, it is not going to save your life, if you ignore the rules and you are in a crash.

Mr. Stephen Anokye is correct in saying that Individuals need to start taking responsibility for their own safety. He says that people need to educate each other. ‘If you get in a taxi and your driver is not wearing a seat belt, let him know.’ However, on top of this, those whose job it is to enforce the law if this deadly trend is ever going to be over turned must carry out firmer punishment and strict regulation of the law.