Pupils at Appiatse Relief Camp share their ordeal

The trauma of commuting from the Appiatse-Relief Camp through the collapsed Appiatse community to school at Beppoh-Ehyireso in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality on a daily basis is troubling to many pupils and students at the camp.

The earth-trembling vibrations in the wake of the explosion that suddenly scooped the soil, resulting in the instant collapse of buildings, is a regrettable experience not to be forgotten so soon.

These were the words of Master Samuel Darko, a 14-year-old student now taking shelter at the Appiatse Camp, when he shared his ordeal with the Ghana News Agency on the effects of the Thursday, January 20, explosion.

Background

A Maxam Ghana Limited truck carrying explosives detonated at Appiatse, a predominantly farming community in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality of the Western Region.

The gory explosion killed at least 14 people and injured hundreds while many, including children, were displaced, making the once vibrant community a pale shadow of itself.

The incident birthed what has become known as the Appiatse Relief Camp, housing hundreds of displaced residents.

The Government, after investigations, asked Maxam Ghana to pay a total of six million dollars, including one-million dollar fine for regulatory breaches, and five million to be donated to the Appiatse Support Fund for reconstruction purposes.

Uncontrollable Tears

Sandwiched by his colleagues under a tree at the camp, Darko said: “Anytime I suddenly hear huge sounds or noise, it sends shivers down my spine, remembering vividly the explosion”

Thereafter, uncontrollable tears rolled down his cheeks, as he lamented how he had lost his personal belongings to the explosion, something he never dreamt of.

“It is not comfortable living in the Appiatse Relief Camp as a student because we don’t have light in our rooms to study, particularly in the evening,” he said.

“We sit under tree shades to do our assignments before night falls. In the evening, we compete with adults for space to study under street lights where they also converge to engage in various games.”

“Though there is electricity at the camp, the tents and other designated sleeping places did not have electricity, thereby affecting students evening studies.”

Family Devastation

Elizabeth Ewudzi, another student, belittled Asante’s predicaments saying; “For me I returned home that day to hear my father, brother and my best friend died in the explosion.”

“My father was my backbone, so I am wondering how I will complete my education. I’m, therefore, appealing to the Government to set up special tents as learning centres and libraries, stocked with books, to facilitate our learning process since we have lost all our supplementary reading materials to the explosion.”

For 15-year-old Araba Koomson, she was worried about how her parents struggled to provide her basic needs, particularly sanitary pads, something that was not a challenge prior to the explosion.

She appealed to the Government to financially support the parents to enable them to cater for their children’s needs.

“Also, the government should, as a matter of urgency, initiate measures to rebuild the community to return life to normalcy,” she said.

Affirming the pupils’ complaints, Madam Naomi Forson, a 52-year-old mother of three, reiterated the need for the Government to set up special tents for studies and called for counselling services by psychologists for the people, particularly pupils, at regular intervals to ease the healing process.

Appiatse–Camp Committee

Responding to the pupils’ concerns, Mr Thywill Quashie, the Public Relations Officer for the Appiatse Disaster Relief Committee, said the Committee was aware of their challenges and working to address them.

In collaboration with other stakeholders, the Committee had initiated moves to organise free evening classes for all affected students and pupils at the camp, he said.

Ghana Education Service

Ms Vida Kwofie, the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipal Director of Education, gave the assurance that the Ghana Education Service was committed to ensuring free and quality education for the pupils.

She said more than 100 students from pre-tertiary and tertiary in including 39 in basic schools, nine in junior high school and a host of others from various tertiary institutions were affected by the explosion.

They had been supplied with books, pens and other learning materials to enable them to cope with the situation, she said.

GNA