Thai Princess calls on First Lady

Back page. Wed. April 23/08
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho

THE First Lady, Mrs Theresa Kufuor, has said her decision to promote education among vulnerable groups for the last seven years was based on her conviction that education is the key to development.
She explained that that was why the Mother and Child Foundation, which she founded and of which she is the Chief Patron, pays particular attention to deprived communities and the vulnerable in the society.
The First Lady said this when the Princess of The Kingdom of Thailand, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhom, paid a courtesy call on her at her office in Accra yesterday.
The Princess, who is in the country to participate in the on-going UNCTAD conference in Accra, met with the First Lady to consider possible areas of collaboration between them.
According to the First Lady, her foundation has a lot to benefit from the Princess who is also into community and social development.
Mrs Kufuor said “I have learnt with great admiration, your activities and successes within the area of community and social development”.
“Again I have been informed of your activities with the several philanthropic organisations that you chair, and I cannot help but recognise that we have shared interests and visions”.
For the past three decades, the Princess, who holds a doctorate degree in Development Education, has promoted education as a means for community and social development.
She is also involved in mother and child care, trains the handicapped to use information technology (IT) to develop independent living and learning skills as well as training people in agricultural extension to improve the nutritional conditions of school children.
The Project Co-ordinator of the Mother and Child Foundation, Mrs Nana Yaa Frimpong, briefed the Princess on some of the projects undertaken by the foundation, which she said, included the building of primary schools, bakery for young mothers and the provision of micro finance for young women.
She enumerated some of the major challenges facing the organisation as lack of finance to acquire equipment and raw materials to train the young mothers.
Princess Sirindhom who runs several philanthropic organisations and foundations, promised the Mother and Child Foundation that she would consider some of their challenges.
The two women later exchanged gifts.