For many homes, plates, cups, bowls, and spoons are ordinary household items often taken for granted. But at the Graceland Needy Child Shelter Home in Bawjiase, these basic items had become limited resources shared among more than 100 children.
During Youth Arise Organization’s (YAO) first visit to the home in April 2026 under its Community Hope and Charity Campaign (CHCC), one moment deeply touched the team. Some of the children were seen eating oats directly with their hands from bowls because there were not enough spoons and cups available. What initially appeared to be the absence of cups turned out to be a larger challenge involving both inadequate and unavailable feeding items.
Moved by the experience, YAO returned to Graceland on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, to continue the work it started in April this year. The second visit focused on providing basic household items for the children while also supporting the repair and replacement of old leaking roofs within the facility, especially as the rainy season intensifies.
As part of the intervention, the team donated 150 feeding bowls, 150 feeding plates, 150 stainless steel spoons, 150 drinking cups, and 150 cups with attached straws to ensure that every child could have access to personal feeding items. The team also donated breakfast items including a box of oats, a box of Yumvita, a box of Twisco, and a box of Cowbell milk to support the nutritional needs of the children.
YAO further donated roofing materials including two boxes each of roofing nails, 3-inch nails, and 4-inch nails to support the ongoing roofing renovation works at the facility. In addition, the organization made a cash donation of GH₵ 4,000 to support the complete renovation of the roofing system of the main structure of the home, which has been heavily affected by years of wear and persistent leakages during rainfall.
Speaking during the presentation, the Global CEO of Youth Arise Organization, Mr. Moses Baffour Awuah, stated that the organization was deeply concerned about the condition of the leaking roofs, especially as the rainy season had started.
“One thing that really moved us to visit you today was the condition of the roofs. With the rains beginning, we knew the children could not continue staying under leaking roofs, so we felt the need to move in quickly to support the home. Every child deserves a safe and comfortable place to sleep and learn,” he said.
Receiving the items on behalf of the home, the Founder of Graceland Needy Child Shelter Home, Madam Grace Wobil, expressed heartfelt appreciation to Youth Arise Organization for what she described as timely and life-changing support.
“You have really helped us because we have been praying that God should touch someone’s heart to come and donate plates to support us. We cannot buy all of them”, she said.
Turning in excitement to the children during her remarks, she said, “Everybody is going to get his or her own plate. You will no longer have to wait for someone to finish eating before you collect the plate.”
She further explained the difficult situations the children previously faced during feeding time due to the inadequate number of feeding items available at the home. “When you are serving the food, one has to wait for the other to finish eating before you can collect the plate to go for your food. And when it happens like that, the one eating must be fast, which is not good. It can choke him or her. Or the one collecting it may snatch it from the other little boy,” she added.
YAO noted that the second visit forms part of its broader commitment to improving the living conditions of vulnerable children through consistent and practical interventions. Through the Community Hope and Charity Campaign, YAO continues to mobilize students, entry-level professionals, and young executives to respond to community needs with compassion, dignity, and long-term support. The organization further reaffirmed its commitment to continuing partnerships and interventions that create safer, healthier, and more dignified environments for children in vulnerable communities.
Written by Samuel Nii Adjetey
