His Eminence Peter Cardinal Appiah Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace at the Vatican, has called for the extension of internet and other technological facilities to rural areas in order to improve upon the quality of education in villages and towns in West Africa.
He said it was time internet facilities were made available in villages to catch up with Technology which was usually limited to cities and big towns.
Cardinal Appiah Turkson was speaking at the inauguration of Friends of Cardinal Turkson Fund for Health and Education (CTFHE) at a Mass at Christ the King Catholic Church in Accra recently.
Cardinal Turkson established the CTFHE to support poor women and promote quality education in rural areas.
The Fund has a Board of Trustees comprising 23 members with the Cardinal as Chairman, Mr. Andy Asamoah as Vice and Rev. Fr. Patrick Amos as Secretary.
Other members of the Board include Most Rev. Mathias K. Nketsiah, Mr. Martin Esson- Benjamin, Mrs. Peggy Dzodzomenyo , Nana Egyir Agyrey, Mr. George Nsiah, Mr. Bernard Ekow Sam, Mr. Gail Glover Grant II, Sir Paul Victor Obeng and Professor Dr. Sir Wireko Brobbey.
According to Cardinal Turkson, the Fund was also to seek God’s intervention in improving the Health condition of millions of women afflicted by obstetric Fistulae.
He noted that the Fund was to enhance quality of life of marginalized women by assisting them to reintegrate into their communities while supporting the extension of Information Communication Technology (ICT) to villages or rural areas in West Africa.
Cardinal Turkson noted that as West African countries used the same Basic and Second Cycle Syllabus, with the technology of satellite for example in rural areas, quality education could be pursued.
He said English Speaking West African countries would be sorted out first with respect to the satellite facility before extending the project to the French speaking countries in the Region.
Earlier in a Sermon during the Mass, Cardinal Turkson said the most important and significant aspect of the story of man’s salvation was the birth of Christ. He said it was also not out of place that Pope Francis decided to focus on the poor and support them.
Cardinal Turkson noted that it was with that same spirit of the love for the poor that his Fund was established.
Dr. J.B Wilson, a Board member of Mercy Women’s Centre at Mankesim in the Central Region, said that the Hospital was established to handle the health problems of millions of women who were afflicted with obstetric fistulae.
He explained that obstetric fistulae is a hole which develops between the bladder where urine is stored in the female private part , or a hole which develops when a pregnant woman is not well catered for during pregnancy and therefore urine and faeces run out without control.
Dr. Wilson said by the grace of God, the condition was being handled at the Hospital efficiently, noting that in Europe and other developed countries the condition was almost nonexistent.
He said since its establishment in 2010, the Mercy Hospital had 1,959 O.P.D attendances in that year with 17 successful deliveries.
In 2011, O.P.D attendance was 13, 935 with 94 deliveries and in 2013, 3, 3790 patients visited the Hospital and 967 deliveries took place successfully.
From Bernard Quanson