Patience Gamor made a personal pledge, some years back, to support the education of the underprivileged, having been a beneficiary of similar support from the principal of John Teye Memorial School.
Since 2013 when she established Golden Spring School, she has been working tirelessly towards achieving her objective though she faced daunting challenges. Her noble intentions would, however, had suffered a severe setback had her call for help gone unanswered.
Enter the Rotary Club of Accra–Ring Road Central. After their initial assessment and discussions with Patience, the Club committed to support her school. The Club aims to raise GH¢200,000 in order to deliver on their commitment. Today, Patience, the teachers and her 150 pupils can confidently look forward to the completion of a project which would provide Golden Spring School with the much-needed amenities including classrooms, a library and water storage facilities.
Her story is, however, not different from the many community initiatives which the Rotary Club of Accra–Ring Road Central has undertaken in their 35 years of serving humanity, particularly the underprivileged.
On February 16, 2021, when the members of the Club met, it was to set the agenda for their 35th anniversary this year. The chosen theme, “35 years of serving humanity” declares their intention to deliver greater service to their communities and worthy causes. Outlining the activities for the celebration, the Chairman of the anniversary celebrations, the club’s District Governor Nominee, Victor Asante, mentioned an anniversary project, a list of other community projects, a fundraising drive, and a series of mini events which would be climaxed with a themed activity.
Speaking at the meeting, Past District Governor Jeffrey Afful shared the Club’s history with the members, highlighting their achievements over the past 35 years. This was followed by the Club’s President, Roma Puni, who emphasized the need to continue building on the Club’s successes and also increase fundraising capabilities in order that they are able to deliver impactful projects. At the end of the meeting the Club set in motion an ambitious plan which seeks to outdo their previous achievements and improve more lives in communities across Ghana including that of the 150 pupils of Patience’s Golden Spring School.
The Rotary Club of Accra–Ring Road Central, the third Rotary Club chartered in Accra, was established on April 24, 1986. It has since its inception earned the accolade of “the most dynamic Rotary Club in Ghana” following a display of its special brand of commitment and tenacity which more than brings to life the Rotary Club motto of “Service above Self”. The Club has grown to be the largest in the Rotary District 9102 made up of Ghana, Togo, Benin & Niger, with eighty-seven members. It has also undertaken numerous charity projects across Ghana which span several sectors including healthcare, education, literacy, water and sanitation among others thereby delivering hope and relief to millions of people.
Some of the notable projects undertaken by the Rotary Club of Accra–Ring Road Central include a six-classroom building for Asempaneye Community in the Easter Region, Water and Sanitation projects in Osu Vocational School, Bawjiase Orphanage, Saboba Agricultural Station, Larteh Methodist JSS, Supreso, Tinkong Health centre and some villages in the Central Region. The Club has been involved in building a community library in Anyaa Awoshie for the Lila Childcare Foundation and the entire Anyaa Awoshie community, provision of vocational and technical skills to about forty women to build their capacity to undertake economically viable ventures and a joint commissioning of a telehealth project in Jirapa district of the Upper West Region with the Rotary Club of Windsor (1918) and the Herzog Hospital of Jerusalem.
The Club has also undertaken annual Medical and Eye Outreaches, donation of items and cash to the Kressner Orphanage, Bawjiase Orphanage, Girl Science Students at Teshie Secondary School, Teshie State School for the Deaf and Dumb, Kaneshie Cripples Home and Rehabilitation Centre, Dodowa Library and other institutions. Other projects undertaken by the Rotary Club of Accra–Ring Road Central are the mounting of fifteen (15) dustbins along the Aburi Hill Walkway, a facelift of the maternity unit at Ayirebi Health Centre in the Eastern Region, donation of personal protective equipment (PPEs) and other COVID-19 related items to frontline health workers in Ghana and the Agbogbloshie community and Kressner Orphanage, just mentioning a few.
Over the years, the Rotary Club of Accra-Ring Road Central has in the course of its activities built partnerships with agencies and institutions including USAID, Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Clutches4Africa, National blood Service Ghana, Rotary Club of Limay, MTN Foundation, Sight For Africa, Living Waters Hospital, Ghana Book Trust, Rotary Club of Windsor, Windsor – Roseland & Plymouth, all in Canada, Rotary Club of Nykobing F. Vestensborg; Rotary Club of Hoppers Crossing, Australia, Rotary Club of Lome Azur, Rotary Club of Ogba, The Herzog Hospital of Jerusalem and Syndicated Capital.
Rotary Club of Accra–Ring Road Central was the first club to have a Major Donor pay US$10,000 outright to the Rotary Foundation. The Club is a 100 per cent Paul Harris Fellow club and has produced two District Governors. It sponsors one Rotract club, two Interact clubs and has chartered five Rotary Clubs. These are Rotary Club of Accra-Legon East, Accra–Dzorwulu, Accra–Osu Oxford Street, Akwapim Ridge and Accra–Industrial.
Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 34,000 Rotary Clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world.
