It was a difficult moment for a village called Daakye Asem to overcome an obstacle that hit the people in the village; the people were dying, others were suffering from chronic diseases whilst pregnant women were having miscarriages, whereas children were dying instantly as they are born.
Blood flowing through the streets was not enough to cry for the people, hunger killing the sick ones could not be fathomed with how tears were flowing on the cheeks of the elderly ones. The chief and elders who thought they could solve the ungodly situation contacted the oracles, the magicians and the soothsayers but all could not hold waters.
After years of suffering, disasters and tears of unforeseen occurrences, the people of Daakye Asem had their way out, an old lady of about 120 years who has been rejected by the community was finally consulted, the grey hairy quite grandmother had their solutions. The 120 year old woman said, ever since the newly installed chief took over, the customs and tradition of the village had been stopped for modernizations reasons which have aggravated the gods to strike the village with their wrath.
The rituals were performed and the customs and tradition was followed, Daakye ASEM Village is now safe from their predicaments.
Currently, civilization has taken away the pride of Africa where the young ones give the aged the opportunity to sit, greet, and assist them for whatever they do is no more seen because old age is seen as witchcraft, they are not respected and even treated right because , they have been accused by some Pastors and Prophets whilst some traditions believe they are evil ( witches camp)
What policies have we had for these aged ones?
How many of them have been consulted for solutions to the problem we are going through as a country?
Are these aged from Kwame Nkrumah time alive or rejected for Political reasons? Hmmm. I strongly believe we need them seriously without consideration. Let’s compare to the people of Daakye Asem.
Ghana currently has 57% of the youth in the total population of the country which means, 43% of the population is aged and these aged are made up of the sick, the rejected ones, the widows and less privileged ones but all these poor aged irrespective of their caliber, have something unique to offer Ghanaians and when they are consulted, the country could benefit enough from them since they also play important role in the building of the nation since they are the right source of oral history. Caring for the ages should be a policy for successive governments to recon.
Since we are moving forward as a country the nation building should not be done only by the government but the responsibility of the Civil Society Organizations are equally important.
When all hope seems to have been lost for the aged, there comes some very young and vibrant youth in the persons of Evelyn A. Boateng, Christine Amuzu and Nana A. Brobey who came together to create a platform to help the aged called Sisters Keepers Association, a non-governmental organization and in their quest to help the nation building, they are doing their possible best with their branches in United Kingdom, United State of America, Germany, Ghana and still counting by Supporting and Empowering Women, Helping the Elderly ( AGED) within our communities and inspiring them to become more Philanthropic as they ensure Equality, Individual Rights and Freedom for all.
To make the aged feel comfortable in the society, help the needy and inspire their vision, Sister Keepers Association since its formation has been able to ; Dine with the Aged at Dansoman, had Awareness talk at Osu Presby, Donated to the Eye of the Lord- Nsawam and countless programs for the Orphanage homes. All these beneficiaries enjoyed the best of their lives as their faces showed; joy, happiness, love and being special in the society because at first, they felt stigmatized.
The President Miss Evelyn A. Boateng in an interview said, people with Alzheimers and Dementia must be given the necessary attention to make them have a feel they belong in the society and advise the people to desist from stigmatizing them.
With this vision, the government can empower them and make sure their vision and voices are heard in the country since they are mostly with them in the society, their grievances could be heard and addressed.
As we are going forward as a country, these are some of the policies the government should embark on to help the less privileged ones. Sister Keepers Association has come to stay and we need to support them to forge ahead and I believe if we consult them (Aged) as the people of Daakye Asem did, the country will be better. Kudos to Sisters Keepers Association for such a yeoman job done
Long live Ghana
Long live Sisters Keepers Association
Asonaba Kwadwo Nomafo a Journalist at Accra fm under Class Media Group
