Achimota Retail Centre, popularly known as Achimota Mall, was the toast of the day at Dome, in Accra on Thursday when it’s management donated a consignment of educational materials to Paradise Preparatory School, a very popular but underprivileged first cycle institution in the Ga East Municipality.
School authorities, pupils and representatives of the school’s parent-teacher association were jubilant as Management of the mall handed over 30 school desks, five cupboards, 2,000 branded exercise books and 2,000 pens to the school.
The delegation from the mall was stunned when, upon arrival at the school, they were greeted by an impressive cadet display and elaborately choreographed cultural performances.
‘You must understand our excitement today’, said Assistant Headmaster Mr. Kwaku Dele Adufuli. ‘This is the very first time in all our 12 years that we are experiencing such a charitable gesture. No company or individual has ever come to our aid in this fashion.’
Established in 2008, Paradise Preparatory School is located just adjacent to the busy Dome market and on account of proximity, has become the preferred school for most of the children of traders, drivers and persons who spend their entire work day at the market.
The school enrols some 450 pupils in its crèche, Kindergarten and Junior High classes and is run by a staff of 22 of which only four are non-teaching.
Management of Achimota Retail Centre (ARC) told newsmen later that the mall was responding to a distress call from the school in May and are delighted to be of help to an underprivileged school for children located within the community where it conducts its business.
Handing over the items, Mr. Anthony Asamoah, Marketing Manager said, “Achimota Retail Centre has always been a responsible corporate citizen of this community. We did not hesitate to come to your aid because, as a family shopping centre, we place a lot of premium on the welfare of children.”
He urged school authorities to put the items to judicious use for the full benefit of the children and encouraged the all pupils at the school to take their studies seriously since the lower levels of education usually defined what the individual would become in life.
Mr. Asamoah recalled a special collaboration the mall had last August with ‘Libraria’, an NGO committed to promoting the art of reading among children at the community level, and pledged to facilitate a school version of the reading sessions organised for market women at the mall last year.
An overjoyed PTA Chairman, Mr. Osei Gyamfi, thanked the ARC Management for a gesture he opulently described as exceptional.
“Achimota Mall has made history by doing our school such a great favour. There is no better way of expressing our gratitude than to assure you that we the parents, the teaching staff here and our children will continue to shop at your mall,” said Mr. Gyamfi.
The facility’s chain of shops is anchored by the reputed food and grocery giant, Shoprite, and by the general merchandise store, Game. The mall boasts of one of the capital’s biggest open and undercover parking spaces and a tight security regime which is delivered by a combination of manual and electronic surveillance.
Since opening for business in October 2015, the Centre has brought modern, convenient, one-stop shopping to the south-eastern sector of Accra, including communities like Dome, Tantra Hill, Ofankor, Ashongman Estates, Kwabenya, West Legon and the Achimota township.
