The Gender, Inclusion and Vulnerability Office at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (KNUST) has donated snacks and food items to pupils of the Garden City Special School in Kumasi as part of efforts to support vulnerable groups and strengthen community inclusion.
The donation was presented during a visit by the GIV Office in partnership with the Inclusive Tech Group and Design Ghana to the school.
Headmistress of the Garden City Special School, Mrs. Roseline Frimpomaa Adjapong, received the items on behalf of the school and described the gesture as timely.
“The snacks have come at the right time because it is lunch time and the children are hungry,” she said.
She thanked the GIV Office and Inclusive Tech Group for the support and for spending time with the children.
“On behalf of the students, staff and the whole school, we accept this presentation and we are grateful for everything,” she added.
The visit formed part of a broader inclusion and community engagement initiative led by the GIV Office under the leadership of Prof. Mrs. Mercy Badu.
Speaking during the engagement, Dr. Ralitsa Diana Debrah, lede for the Inclusive Tech Group and Design Ghana, said the partnership aimed to promote inclusion and support for persons with disabilities.
She explained that the initiative was carried out in collaboration with Inclusive Tech Group and other partners working on disability and social innovation projects.
“We focus on working with persons with disabilities, but we see them as people first,” she said.
Dr. Debrah noted that the partnership with the GIV Office was important because the office continues to lead inclusion-related efforts within the university community.
“The Gender, Inclusion and Vulnerability Office is the flagship unit within KNUST leading these efforts, so it was important for us to partner with them,” she said.
According to her, the engagement also focused on care for vulnerable communities and environmental responsibility.
“There are no people without the planet, so it is important that we pay attention to vulnerable people and the environment around us,” she said.
The programme also gave visitors the opportunity to interact with staff and pupils of the special school and learn more about the experiences of children with intellectual disabilities.
Mrs. Adjapong, who has worked at the school for close to two decades, said caring for children with special needs requires patience and commitment.
“It is not just a job. It is a ministry. It is a calling,” she said.
She explained that many of the children communicate through gestures, facial expressions and signs.
“If you do not learn how to get to them, you will never be able to help them,” she added.
The GIV Office said the visit forms part of its continuing work to promote equity, inclusion and support for vulnerable persons within and outside the KNUST community.
Design Ghana also indicated that it would present its own donation to the school as part of the engagement.
The visit ended with interactions between the visitors, staff and pupils of the school, alongside presentations and group photographs.
