The United Nations Association of Commission for Women and Children Affairs (UNACWCA) has launched a shelter project to accommodate the homeless.

Estimated to provide over 500 capacity houses for vulnerable women and children on the streets, the facility would be sited in Greater Accra and the Ashanti regions respectively.

The project forms part of the Commission’s pro-poor policies to rid-off slums and shelter, the homeless on the streets of Accra and Kumasi.

The facility comprises of 500 capacity accommodation, 10 unit staff residence, 100-seater library units, 250 person capacity cafeteria unit, 12 unit classroom blocks and a talent development centre, among other social amenities.

It would also have a 60-bed capacity health facility management unit, an auditorium, vocational training and technical training centre and as well as a Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) centre.

Speaking at the launch of the project in Accra last Friday, National Head of UNACWCA, Ms Jemima Adukpo said the vagaries of COVID-19, formed the basis for the Commission to reach out to the vulnerable who were left on the streets in those difficult times.

The shelter, she said, was aimed at mitigating the havoc caused by the pandemic which has left in its trail high cost of living, high unemployment, and general levels of despondency hence the need for more collaboration among well-meaning people.

“As though COVID-19 had not caused enough damage, the Ukraine-Russia war, which is still raging, has compounded the already volatile and vulnerable situation COVID-19 wrecked on nations and individuals,” she added.

The already vulnerable economic, social and health conditions of the vulnerable, she said  have been worsened and “if there is any silver lining in these troubling crises then, perhaps, it is the fact that the vulnerabilities of these groups have been amplified.”

She, however, expressed the hope that with support from the benevolent organisation through funds that, the UNCAWCA Shelter project would help to ameliorate the plight of women and children by providing them with dignifying shelters.

 The Goodwill Ambassador to the UNACWCA Shelter Project, Elaine Judy AwurabenaQuarmey, on her part said the estimated 1.8 million housing deficit in Ghana leaves the vulnerable in a precarious situation.

She was hopeful when completed, the project would give a decent place of abode to the vulnerable and called on benevolent organisations to support the charity initiative.

BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI