Two Religious Sisters, Sr. Joy Abuh of the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary (MSHR) and Sr. Francisca Kumevor, of the Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church (SMMC), were part of the Diocesan Committee for Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults, inaugurated recently by the Most Rev. John Alphonse Asiedu, SVD, Bishop of Donkorkrom Diocese, in the Eastern Region of Ghana.
Sr. Joy Abuh works as School Chaplain and teacher at the Donkorkrom Agricultural Senior High School (DASHS), Donkorkrom, and is also the Diocesan Coordinator for the Safeguarding of Children and Vulnerable Adults while Sr. Francisca Kumevor is the Sister trainer for the Mater Ecclesiae Skills Training Centre, at Kwaekese, Donkorkrom Diocese, and also doubles as the Diocesan Coordinator for the Missionary Childhood Society.
Other members of the Committee which was inaugurated within the context of the May 31, 2026 Trinity Sunday Mass, at the St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Donkorkrom, were: Rev. Fr. Linus Nangwelle, Mr. Michael Djan, Miss Mavis Edem Klutse and Mr. Kennedy Fofie.
This Committee, according to the Chief Shepherd, was constituted in accordance with the Diocesan Child Protection Policy, and in fulfilment of the Diocese’s sacred responsibility of safeguarding the dignity, welfare and safety of all children and vulnerable persons.
The Committee is entrusted with the duty of assisting the Bishop in ensuring a consistent, ongoing and comprehensive approach to creating safe environments throughout the Parishes, Institutions, and Communities within the Diocese.
His Lordship further charged the Committee with the responsibility of promoting awareness, educating and preventing abuse in all Diocesan Churches and institutions. Members are to uphold confidentiality, justice, integrity and accountability in the execution of their duties, and work diligently in helping create safe environments for all children and vulnerable adults within the Catholic Diocese of Donkorkrom.
Sr. Joy Abuh, MSHR, speaking on behalf of the group, thanked the Bishop for organising the Committee and ensuring that members were trained to effectively handle the task ahead. She also extended gratitude to Sr. Olivia Omoh, DC, Director of Safe-Child Advocacy, of the Archdiocese of Kumasi who had come to take them through a 2-day training from February 17 to 18, 2025.
Sr. Abuh, in her speech, shed more light on what safeguarding of Children and Vulnerable Adults is all about: “creating a conducive environment where children and vulnerable adults are protected, and can grow in faith without fear of abuse, exploitation, bullying, trafficking and child labour,” she said, reaffirming its importance in day-to-day living.
She called on the faith community to be vigilant; to listen to the little voices of children and vulnerable adults around them. To her, it is a shared responsibility for all in the faith community, to see to it that people in the communities and homes are valued, respected, and that the dignity of each person is upheld. They, as Committee members are just spearheading the assignment, but everyone is involved, she buttressed.
The Committee spokesperson challenged the faithful to go within the recesses of their hearts and homes, and see whether they were truly upholding the dignity of children other than their own, but who are under their care, citing an example of children who go about the town on market days, hawking, when they are supposed to be in school.
She, on behalf of the Committee, informed the faithful of their impending visits to the various schools and Parishes, and solicited for their maximum cooperation during such visits, so that together, they could ensure the safety of their children and vulnerable adults.
The Committee members were issued Certificates, following their February 2025 training at Donkorkrom.
Present at the inaugural Mass were the Diocesan Laity Council members, who were ending their 3-day Leadership training on Leadership. Also present were some members of the Dumenu family from the Volta Region, who were visiting the Bishop. They were: Sr. Lucy Vivian Dumenu, OLA, working in Tanzania, Mr. Arnold Dumenu, working at Hohoe and Mrs. Georgina Dumenu, working at Ho.
By Sr. Sylvie Lum Cho, MSHR (Catholic Sister Communicators Network, Ghana, CASCON -GH)
