IPNews-Monrovia: The Liberian Alpha of the Order of the Sons and Daughters of the King (OSDK), Court of the ‘Blessed Trinity’, over the weekend carried out its annual charity donation at the Suakoko Lepers Colony in Bong County.
The event which was led by the King of the OSDK, Sir Emmanuel D. Howe, brought together inmates of the colony, community dwellers and Members of the OSDK. Presenting the items on behalf of the Queen, Lady Ina W. Christensen and the Order, Sir Howe said it was the tradition of the OSDK to visit the Colony every December to bring smiles to the less fortunate during the festive season at the colony. He thanked the Past Queen, Lady Gertrude M. Wardlow who during her reign established contact with the colony for assistance from the OSDK. He promised to continue the engagement during their reign as King and Queen of the Order. Sir Howe assured the inmates that they cannot be forgotten by the Order and promised to expand the charitable work of the OSDK in the coming years through educational assistance to their deserving children and grandchildren. He said one of the missions of the OSDK was to reach out and give to those most in need.
Welcoming the OSDK at the facility, the Rev. Dr. James M. Tamba, Chaplain of the Cuttington University and Liaison between the Colony and the Epiphany Chapel, thanked the Order for the thoughtfulness at this time of the year and said that every item brought by the OSDK was very important for the wellbeing of the inmates of the Colony. He prayed that God will bless the leadership of the Order and those that contributed their resources in these hard times to make others happy.
Receiving the items on behalf of the Colony, Mr. Sumowuo Kezele, the Nurse and Coordinator assigned from the Phebe Hospital at the Colony expressed delight for the visit of the OSDK. He said food, common drugs, detergents and other items brought by the Order are in dire need by the patients. The Coordinator said the visit was very timely and the items brought will be evenly distributed to the most needy patients and not community dwellers who can fend for themselves. Mr. Kezele said many of the inmates at the Colony are old and got no relatives around to look after them, as they themselves cannot do physical work. He then urged the Organization not to forget them and to also tell their story to other goodwill institutions to assist them. A female recipient who spoke in the Kpelle language praised God for the donations and thanked the Order for thinking on them every time.
Items donated included several bags of rice, gallons of cooking oil, cartons of washing and bathing soap, assorted canned food items, several bags of used and new clothes, detergents, and seasonings for food.
The OSDK is a fraternal Order of the Episcopal Church of Liberia established in 1890 in Cape Palmas by the late Bishop Samuel David Ferguson. Its mission is to help teach the Doctrines of the Episcopal Church to its Members, assist the Bishop with infrastructural development of smaller churches and reach out in charity to the less fortunate in society.
