The ANOPA Project of Ghana and Visio International have given support to the Ghana National Basic Inclusive School in Cape Coast in the Central Region of Ghana under the Holistic Development Programme for Visually Impaired Children in Ghana. The Ghana National Basic Inclusive School in Cape Coast is the first and the only inclusive School in the Central Region of Ghana. The School admits both Blind and Sighted pupils who study and learn in the same classroom with the same conditions. In order to enhance proper inclusive learning, ANOPA and Visio came together to donate recorders and braille sheets to the School. The visually impaired pupils who are mostly from very deprived backgrounds were also supported with educational materials, edible provisions and food items among others to encourage their inclusion geared towards total integration allowing many more children with visual impairment to enter regular education.
Other sighted students, teachers and the visually impaired were taken through eye screening by professional medical practitioners including an optometrist from the Ewim Government Poly Clinic in Cape Coast. In all about 80 people including the blind, the sighted and teachers were screened. ANOPA Project and Visio International hope to conduct a follow up session after the findings and recommendation by the Medical Team.
It is estimated that about 1.5% of the Ghanaian population has a visual impairment. That is about 500,000 people made up of the young and the old. Although it is the will of the Government of Ghana to provide these people with good care and education, the responsibility also falls on NGOs to augment the effort of the Government which are generally not enough looking at swarming population of a country with 37 million people.
The Executive Director of ANOPA Project, Mr. Ernest Appiah thanked the Visio International Programme led by the Country Director, Mr. Jeremiah Badu Shayer for reaching out to ANOPA Project to execute the programme in the School.
According to Mr. Ernest Appiah, ANOPA Project is dedicated and committed to using sports as a tool to accelerate development in all areas for differently-abled persons especially children in Ghana. He reiterates ANOPA Project has remained steadfast in its partnership with the RYTHM Foundation over the past years in assisting, supporting and elevating the blind, deaf and other vulnerable children within the Central and Western Regions of Ghana through the provision of educational scholarships, educational materials, vocations, sports all aimed at enhancing their inclusion and integration which has become a success so far.
He said that ANOPA will continue to work with the RYTHM Foundation expanding their nets to other differently-abled children with IDDs, and the Blind in the Greater Accra and the Central Regions.
ANOPA Project is ever ready to receive and work with the Visio International in the Central Region under the
Holistic Development Programme for the Visually Impaired.
