First Lady Mrs. Lordina Mahama, said the family unit forms the foundation of every society and as such, if the family unit was unsound, society would be unstable.
Mrs Mahama said this when she commissioned a secretariat for Air Wives Organisation, (AWO) an association for wives of the Ghana Airforce personnel and also launched their children’s library project.
AWO was to create a common platform for effective organization and mobilization of the wives of Air Force Personnel for economic and social development and some of their activities include educational programmes such as lectures on health, skills training and entrepreneurial development as well as welfare needs of members and their families.
The building of the secretariat, which started in September 2015 was as an initiative of the current Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Samson Oje when he was the Chief of Air Staff.
Addressing members of the organisation at a ceremony in Accra, the First Lady said the idea of organising the wives or spouses of uniformed personnel was a step in the right direction as that would complement government’s agenda on the family, especially children.
She said if the domestic front was strong, peaceful and well sustained, then the husbands would surely go about their security tasks to secure the peace and territorial integrity of the nation.
She urged members of the organization to mobilize the necessary support and be well managed in order to create a stronger family bond, a strong social cohesion and a more stable society for the nation.
She indicated that the Child and Family Welfare Policy, which was launched in July 2015 by the government was aimed at establishing a well structured and co-ordinated system to promote the wellbeing of children in Ghana and for this reason, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection had been working hard to ensure the full implementation of the policy.
Mrs Mahama said the implementation of the policy, by the government, would ensure stronger family bonds, protect and promote the welfare of children in the society.
“I am informed that the Organisation is networking with international partners and is currently forging ties with the North Dakota National Guard, which operates a Family Support System for spouses and dependents. This will be a mutually beneficial partnership if it is based on shared values and ideas”, she said.
She urged the organisation to take good care of the building as a good maintenance culture would extend the life span of the building for it to be used for a longer period and to serve the purpose for which it was built.
The First Lady commended the organisation for its dream to establish a children’s library for use by the families of airforce personnel in particular and the burma camp community as a whole and lauded the project, which she said was directly in tune with the objectives of the Lordina Foundation of supporting children’s welfare and educational needs, “ I am glad to know that the A.W.O. also has similar objectives”.
Mrs Mahama expressed the hope that the project would complement the efforts of government and the Military High Command in the provision of access and quality education for the children.
For his part, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshall MM-T Nagai said the idea to put up a secretariat was driven by the need for a better working environment for the organisation as the executives, had been operating from their homes, even though the organisation had been in existence for over 25 years.
He said the library, which would be sited right next to the secretariat is a 50 seater complex with a reception area, manager’s office, waiting room, two large reading rooms, washroom and an Information Technology (ICY) room, which could be converted into a lecture room in the future.
In her remarks, Mrs Betty Nagai, a Senior Patron of AWO said the organisation aims to create a unique opportunity for wives and spouses of airforce personnel to interact and share ideas as well as complement the efforts of their husbands.
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