During the heat of the Covid-19 pandemic in Ghana, Abeiku Aggrey Santana and his partners Derrick Cobbinah, Africa’s Project Officer for the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League and CEO of Forces Help Africa and GUBA Foundation supported and brought to light the activities of WWII veteran Joseph Hammond who recorded a walk of 14 miles in a week as part of a fundraiser to support Africa’s front-line workers.
The 95-year-old Ghanaian World War II veteran walked 3.2 kilometres (two miles) each day to reach his target on Africa Day in Accra and raised almost £43,000.
This gesture by this nobleman went viral in the international media including Al Jazeera, BBC, CNN, DW, France 24 and Washington Post. It also attracted a number of corporations and individuals to reciprocated the goodwill and stretch their arm of support to the veteran.
Today, the First National Bank that launched ASPIRE (Accelerated Support for Pandemic Intervention and Relief Effort) a few months ago to assist government and its stakeholders in mitigating the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has donated an amount of Ghc 12,000 (Twelve Thousand Ghana Cedis) to Mr Hammond. Speaking to a session of the media, Mr Dominic Adu, the first Ghanaian CEO of the bank said they were proud to be a part of his last walk and to share in his story, it is their fervent hope and prayer that First National Bank will look back in the future and also tells their story as the best bank that ever existed in Ghana.
Consequently, Ghanaian Billionaire, Philanthropist and Prince of Africa, Nana Kwame Bediako is proudly known as Freedom Jacob Caesar and his New Africa Foundation who has been showing a greater level of generosity amidst the covid19 pandemic also donated a fully furnished house to Veteran Joseph Hammond who lived 75years of his life in his family home in Accra to support him.
WO1, Joseph Hammond who was inspired by the story of Captain Tom Moore becoming a national hero in the United Kingdom for raising 33 million pounds ($40m) to help NHS before turning 100 was full of praise to the Philanthropist and the First National Bank and thank them for leading the path, he admonished selfishness in the Ghanaian populace and urged us to continue to support the less privileged in any way we can.
Other veterans including Russia’s Zinaida Korneva (97) and British’ Dabirul Choudhury(100) also has bagged similar stories of success for their yeoman’s job.
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