Mrs Stacy Amewoyi, a Philanthropist, has appealed to the public to show compassion towards the needy and less privileged, especially orphans and children from broken homes.
She said all around the world, it was estimated that about 153 million children had either lost a parent and 17.8 million of them had lost both parents.
According to UNICEF’s 2012 data, 2.2 million children lived in orphanages across the world. In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mrs Amewoyi, also the Founder of the ‘Stacy M. Foundation”, a humanitarian not-for-profit organisation, said the story could be different if the study was done a year or two ago and noted that the 2012 data might not reflect the current situation.
In Rwanda alone, about 28 orphanages were found to have 566 children in their care, a figure noted to be increasing by the day, she said.
From 2005 to 2010, there was a 75 per cent increase in the number of orphanages accommodating over 11,945 children in Cambodia according to the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation, 2011 report.
Mrs Amewoyi said in Ghana, studies had shown that approximately 90 percent of the children in orphanages had families that could cater for them if they had the needed support.
Africa was recognised as the continent with a higher proportion of vulnerable children and in Ghana, the number of vulnerable and orphaned, had grown as a result of HIV/AIDs and has increased rural-urban migration, she said.
The Philanthropist said in as much as the orphanage homes were doing their best to provide the necessary support for children, many basic amenities were lacking.
It was for this reason that the Stacy M. Foundation, resorted to lending a hand to the homes and other less privileged.
“No matter how small it is, the benefits to the recipients are incomparable. It helps them in ways one can never imagine. Love makes the world go round, without it, we are empty. Therefore, we could walk to them and show them that somebody cares or somebody loves them.
“When I donate my time, money, and resources to a course am passionate about it allows me to fuel my passion and the love for helping others, and open closed doors for me,” she said.
Mrs Amewoyi said it was time to encourage people to show love, respect, and kindness to the less privileged.
“There are a lot of them in your neighborhood, so don’t wait to become rich before you carry cameras to the orphanage homes, to donate to them” he advised.
The Founder said the Stacy M. Foundation’s vision and mission is to lend a helping hand to the needy whether big or small.
“Showing kindness even when you don’t get it in return, to me does not compare to the goodness that always follows you,” she added.
