Public Agenda (Accra)
Roberta Ollenu
13 November 2009
Wawase — 'MEWE',an Italian -based NGO orphanage, organized its fourth annual edition of the orphanage's rural bicycle race competition on at Wawase in the Twifo Hemang Lower Denkyira District at Central Region.
It was under the theme, 'Malaria and its Prevention' and was organized in collaboration with the Ghana Malaria Control Programme,
The 42km race which began from the Robert Mensah Stadium at around 10: 30am ended at at Wawase at about 12:30pm. It attracted about 40 competitors from the nearby villages around Wawase community, Cape Coast Municipality, Accra and Takoradi.
Samuel Asibu, a native of Jukwa, emerged as the overall winner with a time of 2hrs:15minutes and took away a new bicycle , mobile phone, a trophy, mosquito net and a cash prize ,while Yusif Abdulai from Ankaako who was the first runner -up took home a mobile phone, cash prize with Kweku Fio of Wawase, the second runner- up, received a cash prize and a mobile phone.
Mrs. Ama Baffour Wilmot, Medical Entomologist of Ghana Malaria Control Programme, advised Ghanaians to keep their surroundings clean by eschewing littering indiscrimately since such unhygienic acts would end up breeding mosquitoes.
She advised pregnant women to always visit the clinic for their anti-malaria drugs and entreated nursing mothers to use treated certified nets to protect their babies from mosquito bites in order to avoid malaria.
She advised the competitors to always clean their environment and not to wait for communal labour before doing so, adding that regular cleaning of their surroundings would save them the huge sums of money they spend on battling malaria at the hospital.
Hon. Foster Andoh, District Chief Executive of Twifo Hemang Lower Denkyira, lauded MEWE Orphanage for its initiative which is aimed at helping rural communities through sports.
He said bicycle race is a very healthy exercise and appealed to all chiefs within the area to assist so that the event could be organized at least twice a year.
"I am ever prepared to help in whatever activities which would be of greater interest to the people at large," she promised
He advised the youth to desist from social vices such as teenage pregnancy; truancy and alcoholism.
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