Office of Challenging Heights, a non-Governmental Organization at Winneba in the Central Region focused on child rights and anti-child trafficking has been burgled.
According to President of the NGO, James Kofi Annan, the incident occurred on Wednesday, January 2, 2019.
“We do not know when exactly the act was carried out as the organization is on break for the Christmas and New Year festivities. However, we noticed this criminal act on the evening of Wednesday January 2, 2019.”
He said some items stolen include “governance certificates, contracts, reports, files containing records of accounts and our beneficiaries, and other documents some of which dates as far back as the year 2011.”
He said the incident has been reported to the police and investigations have commenced.
The President of the NGO said they do not currently suspect any foul play or links to any of their projects, “as we believe this might be a purely criminal act.”
“We however wish to assure the general public that Challenging Heights meticulously backs up all its data, including all information on the women, children and the youth we support. Therefore we do not expect to lose any information as a result of the ransacking of our offices, except for those few documents which were not electronically transmitted,” he added.
Challenging Heights specializes in ending child trafficking in Ghana and seeks to reduce child slavery and promote children’s rights.
It has over the years partnered some government agencies in rescuing victims of child trafficking in parts of the country.
Below is the full statement from Challenging Heights:
OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON THE RANSACKING OF CHALLENGING HEIGHTS OFFICES
Challenging Heights regrets to confirm that its head offices in Winneba have been ransacked. We do not know when exactly the act was carried out as the organization is on break for the Christmas and New Year festivities. However we noticed this criminal act on the evening of Wednesday January 2, 2019.
Items stolen from the offices included governance certificates, contracts, reports, files containing records of accounts and our beneficiaries, and other documents some of which dates as far back as the year 2011.
The incidence has been reported to the Ghana Police Service, and they are conducting investigations.
We do not currently suspect any particular person or persons. And we do not wish to link the incidence to any recent happenings in Winneba, as we believe this might be a purely criminal act.
We however wish to assure the general public that Challenging Heights meticulously backs up all its data, including all information on the women, children and the youth we support. Therefore we do not expect to lose any information as a result of the ransacking of our offices, except for those few documents which were not electronically transmitted.
We will like to thank the Ghana Police Service, for the assistance they have given us so far, and wish to appeal to the general public to report to any of our nearest offices, or any Police station, if they have any information that could help retrieve the items stolen.
Challenging Heights will continue to offer support to underserved children, women and youth in the coastal and farming communities of Ghana, confident that this incidence shall not affect our operations.
Since our establishment, we have supported thousands of Ghanaian children, women, and youth, through education, skills training, employment creation, and advocacy.
We are still committed to supporting government to end child trafficking by the year 2029.
We still stand by our motto “To whom much is given, much is expected”, and maintain our stand, that “Keeping children in school is our business”.
Signed
James Kofi Annan
President
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By: Calvis Tetteh|citinewsroom.com | Ghana