The Second Lady, Samira Bawumia, donated items to the Princess Marie Louise Children’s Hospital at a Christmas party on Tuesday (13 December) supported by the Asaase Foundation.
Speaking at the occasion, Hajia Bawumia acknowledged the hospital’s staff, management and advisory board for making the flagship event a success.
“Today we celebrate all of you – the children, the staff, the parents, caretakers, donors and all of you – who have made the past year wonderful and successful,” she said.
“As we celebrate this season of joy and blessing, I would like to commend the hard-working staff of Princess Marie Louise Children’s Hospital, who continue to work tirelessly every day to save lives.
“The challenges that you strive to overcome in order to put a smile on the faces of children, privileged or underprivileged, are commendable,” the Second Lady said.
“It has been 97 years of comprehensive and accessible health services in the prevention and management of childhood illnesses. Well done,” she said.
Hajia Bawumia also acknowledged benevolent givers, including the Asaase Foundation, MTN, Salt and Light Ministry, St Rose’s Old Students Association (ROSA) and the Ken and Angie Foundation (Ken Ofori-Atta and Prof Angie), for their continuous support for the hospital. She urged all caregivers to continue to celebrate and honour the younger generations.
“I’m glad that today we are celebrating the joy of Yuletide and the spirit of giving back, which is truly the spirit of Christmas. This period teaches us that Christmas is the time to share our good fortune with those in need. Children always look forward to the celebration of this occasion with zeal and enthusiasm.
“As caregivers, we should also relish the honour of celebrating our younger generations, who will undoubtedly shape our future.
“I wish to acknowledge and thank all of those whose contributions and support continue to make your work possible, especially Rebecca Akufo-Addo, our First Lady, who is the patron of the Princess Marie Louise Hospital, for her endless support and commitment to making the world a better place for everyone, but especially our little ones.
“And it is my pleasure, on behalf of Her Excellency the First Lady, to present these items that she has brought, hopefully to help you enjoy a very merry Christmas. These include 80 cartons of assorted drinks, ten bags of rice, five boxes of nose masks, ten cartons of candy and 61 cartons of biscuits,” Hajia Bawumia said.
She concluded with a quotation from Nelson Mandela: “There can be no keener revelation of a society than the way in which it treats its children.”
Also speaking at the event, Reverend Father Andrew Campbell, the former parish priest of Christ the King Catholic Church in Cantonments, encouraged other organisations and individuals to make every day a special one for the children.
“Let’s make every day a Christmas Day,” he said.
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He also encouraged families always to make time to be together and put smiles on each other’s faces, and said that parents should break out of their routine and spend more time with their children.
“The first family was in Bethlehem and that staying in Bethlehem was [about] Jesus, Mary and Joseph. So, Christmas is about family. All joy and happiness is in family.
“Come together. On Christmas Day, we don’t attend funerals, we don’t attend weddings, we don’t do meetings. We shouldn’t go anywhere on Christmas. We should stay in the home and stay together with the family,” Father Campbell said.
“Eat with the family, go to church with the family, play with the family. During the year, how many times has Daddy sat down with his children and had a meal together? Very few times; Dad is always busy, Mom is always busy.
“This year, make Christmas a happy day for your children.”
Abigail Ibrahim and Gladys Mensah
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