Staff of Vivo Ghana celebrate Val’s Day with New Horizon Special School, donate medical equipment
By Selorm GBORBIDZI, Accra
Staff of Vivo Energy Ghana, sole distributors of Shell fuel in Ghana, celebrated Valentine’s Day yesterday with the students and staff of the New Horizon Special School in Accra.
The day’s celebration was filled with fun and joy as Vivo staff sang and danced with the excited children.
They also donated various medical equipment to the school to support its day-to-day operations, along with branded chocolate bars, in the spirit of love.
Corporate Communications Manager of Vivo, Shirley Tony Kum, explained that the celebration and donation were part of Vivo’s annual Energising Hope event.
She said, “As a company, we are committed to promoting inclusivity and diversity, which is why this year we chose New Horizon Special Needs School.
This year, we are doing it under the theme ‘leaving no one behind’ because we believe in an equitable future.”
Shirley Kum mentioned that, in consultation with school authorities, they had acquired weighing scales, glucometers, pulse oximeters, blood pressure monitors, nose masks, hand sanitizers, thermometers, and latex gloves.
She expressed confidence that by intervening to procure these items, school authorities could allocate the funds they would have otherwise spent elsewhere.
The Deputy Principal for the school’s Vocational Section, Mariama Obeng, appealed for more corporate support for the school.
She explained that the school was set up as a charitable institution and receives no support from government quarters.
Mrs. Obeng highlighted that the school operates solely on the fees paid by students, which she described as meager, and donations from benevolent individuals and institutions.
She expressed gratitude to Vivo Energy for the donation of the medical equipment, stating, “We were seriously in need of these items, so when they came, we decided to prioritize our needs in the hope that they would be able to support us because we have a very beautiful center, and we need some of these things to work with.” Mrs. Obeng appealed to corporate Ghana to come to the aid of the students, who struggle to pay their fees.
“The needs are extensive. Due to the number of children and the amount of fees they pay, and since we don’t receive anything from the government… If we were receiving that support, we could use the fees to cover other aspects of running the school. But everything depends on the fees and donations we receive. If other corporate organizations could support, it would significantly help us.”
