The Yesu Dea Family, Owners of Yesu Dea VIP Transport Services, has donated an ultra-modern 46-seater bus to three orphanage homes in Bolgatanga Municipality of the Upper East Region. The beneficiary orphanages include Mama Lardi Children`s Home, God`s Love Residential Home, and the Centre for Child Development of the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Catholic Diocesan Development Organisation (NABOCADO). Additionally, 300 bags of rice, 50 cartons of tomatoes, six bags of sugar, six gallons of oil, and toiletries were given to the three orphanage homes. Yesu Dea family and their drivers also held a party with the children of the three homes together to celebrate the new year and to thank God for keeping them alive and healthy. Mr Yaw Amponsah Marfo, the Chief Executive Officer of Yesu Dea VIP Transport Services, speaking during the donation ceremony held at the Centre for Child Development in Bolgatanga, said the donation was in accordance with God`s direction. 'God has instructed me to do this yearly donation across the country to help the needy, so every year I select one region to do this kind of donation,' he stated. Mr Marfo, while handing over the items to the homes, urged them to put the bus to good use and ensure its proper maintenance to support the upkeep of the children in their care. Receiving the donations on behalf of the three homes, Dr Joseph Ayembilla, the Human Development Coordinator of NABOCADO in a speech read on his behalf, noted that the gesture by the Yesu Dea family reminded him of Matthew 25:40, which says, 'Whatever you do to the least of my brothers, you do unto us.' He said the homes were grateful to the family for fulfilling the scripture in their lifetime and added that it was a millstone in their lives, and that Yesu Dea family had left a footprint that will be forever remembered. 'We wish to assure you that the donations received will be documented, acknowledged, and put to their rightful use for the benefit of the children,' he added. Mr Felix Frederick Amenga-Etego, Project Manager, Centre for Child Development, said the Centre had a total of 31 children under its residential care programme while 276 children were also benefiting from various interventions the Centre was offering to the less privileged children in the region. He expressed gratitude for the gesture and noted that it would go a long way to help reduce the stress managers of the orphanages went through to take care of the less privileged. Mr Stephen Yakubu, the Upper East Regional Minister, in a speech delivered on his behalf emphasised that the donation of the food items and the bus, had come as a great relief and urged the managers of the homes to make prudent use of the food items and the percentage of income that would be generated by the bus to manage the homes. Mr Rex Asanga, the Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive, disclosed that a management committee has been set up, comprising representatives from the three homes and a representative from the District Assembly, to help manage the bus, adding that the bus would be used for commercial purposes to generate income for the management of the homes and shall be made available for use by any of the homes based on request. 'Each home shall be entitled to 25 percent of the income earned from the operation of the bus, totaling 75 percent, and the rest of the 25 percent shall be used to pay the driver and for the maintenance of the bus,' he emphasised. The three homes, by way of recognising the effort of the Yesu Dea Family for their support, enskinned Mr Marfo as 'Koma Naba' which means children's chief. Source: Ghana News Agency