Loading
17th June, 2010
There's Hope For Needy Mothers - Director Of Social Welfare
Pregnant woman and destitute mothers have been advised to seek the assistance of the Social Welfare Department when they are faced with challenges of taking care of their children.
Mr. Stephen Adongo, acting Director of Social Welfare who gave the advice said such requests will be treated confidentially by the department until such time that the mothers are able to reclaim their children.
Mr. Adongo was reacting to a publication in the Tuesday “Times” about a woman who sought to kill her three children because her husband had abandoned them.
Stella Asantewa had contemplated poisoning the children and commit suicide for being neglected and abandoned by her husband, Kwesi Kwarteng, a petty trader at Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
The story generated a lot of discussion in the media while the newsdesk of the Times was inundated by calls from sympathisers who wanted to find out how they could help the woman and her children. The majority of them wanted to adopt the children.
However, Mr. Adongo said cases such as Madam Asantewa’s can be minimized if the parents concerned approach the department for assistance.
He said under the department’s welfare package mothers in such situations are given vocational skills training of their choice and assisted to set up in business.
Mr. Adongo said, due to financial constraints the department is unable now to undertake public education on its programmes but when the situation improves it would begin its mass education across the country.
Giving reasons why Asantewaa’s request to keep her last child was granted he said “a forceful custodial take-over of all the children could affect her psychologically.”
He said she was counseled by official of the department who satisfied themselves that no harm would be done to the child, adding “for new the department will continue to monitor her while it also takes care of the two other children at the Osu Children’s Home.”
Mr. Adongo advised those interested in adopting any of the children to approach the department to go through the necessary procedures for child adoption.
Meanwhile, the Director of Kaneshie Zone D, of the department, Ms. Charlotte Attoh whose office was cited in the story as having rebuffed the police when Asantewa and her children were sent there, has denied the report.
She said the Kaneshie Police have for sometime now been in a tango with the department over who should take custody of missing children when such cases are reported.
Ms. Attoh said though the law mandates the police to investigate such issues and even send the children for medical appraisal, the police neglect such duties and always attempt to dump the children on the department.
She said case in Asantewa’s case the department advised that the police provide a report which will enable the Osu Children’s Home to take custody of the family, but the police refused to issue the report.
Mr. Stephen Adongo, acting Director of Social Welfare who gave the advice said such requests will be treated confidentially by the department until such time that the mothers are able to reclaim their children.
Mr. Adongo was reacting to a publication in the Tuesday “Times” about a woman who sought to kill her three children because her husband had abandoned them.
Stella Asantewa had contemplated poisoning the children and commit suicide for being neglected and abandoned by her husband, Kwesi Kwarteng, a petty trader at Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
The story generated a lot of discussion in the media while the newsdesk of the Times was inundated by calls from sympathisers who wanted to find out how they could help the woman and her children. The majority of them wanted to adopt the children.
However, Mr. Adongo said cases such as Madam Asantewa’s can be minimized if the parents concerned approach the department for assistance.
He said under the department’s welfare package mothers in such situations are given vocational skills training of their choice and assisted to set up in business.
Mr. Adongo said, due to financial constraints the department is unable now to undertake public education on its programmes but when the situation improves it would begin its mass education across the country.
Giving reasons why Asantewaa’s request to keep her last child was granted he said “a forceful custodial take-over of all the children could affect her psychologically.”
He said she was counseled by official of the department who satisfied themselves that no harm would be done to the child, adding “for new the department will continue to monitor her while it also takes care of the two other children at the Osu Children’s Home.”
Mr. Adongo advised those interested in adopting any of the children to approach the department to go through the necessary procedures for child adoption.
Meanwhile, the Director of Kaneshie Zone D, of the department, Ms. Charlotte Attoh whose office was cited in the story as having rebuffed the police when Asantewa and her children were sent there, has denied the report.
She said the Kaneshie Police have for sometime now been in a tango with the department over who should take custody of missing children when such cases are reported.
Ms. Attoh said though the law mandates the police to investigate such issues and even send the children for medical appraisal, the police neglect such duties and always attempt to dump the children on the department.
She said case in Asantewa’s case the department advised that the police provide a report which will enable the Osu Children’s Home to take custody of the family, but the police refused to issue the report.
Popular stories from Women and Children
