The First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Ad­do, has presented school supplies and personal items to 30 brilliant but needy girls drawn from various public basic schools in the Greater Accra Region.

The gesture, in partnership with the Merck Foundation, a non-gov­ernmental organisation, also had attached an undisclosed amount of money aimed at supporting the education of the girls to realise their life aspirations.

At a short presentation ceremo­ny in Accra yesterday, Lawyer and Lead Strategist at the Office of the First Lady, Shiela Adoma Boakye, said the gesture was in line with the mission of the Rebecca Founda­tion which is to support govern­ment efforts at improving the lives of Ghanaians, especially women and girls. "We know that when girls are able to stay in school and climb the educational ladder to the highest level, they are likely to become very responsible women in future and contribute meaningfully to national development and this is why the Rebecca Foundation and Merck Foundation are supporting these girls with these gifts today," she explained.

Ms Boakye entreated parents to go all out in supporting their children, particularly the girl child to stay in school to be able to reach their full life potential. "We know that basic education is free and we now have free SHS but some parents are unable to afford basic items and study materials to support the education of their wards which is very unfortunate sometimes.