Interplast, Ltd, Ghana’s leading producer of plastic pipe systems has donated cash and T-shirts through the May 9 foundation for families of the victims of the May 9 Accra stadium disaster to mark the 22nd anniversary of the historic sports disaster.
The tragic stampede occurred during a soccer game between soccer rivals Accra hearts and Kumasi Asante Kotoko on May 9 2001.
The incident claimed at least 126 lives and left many football supporters injured and their families in despair.
The May 9 2001 Accra stadium disaster remains the number one sports tragedy in Ghana’s history. Even though the government of Ghana set up a disaster fund to support the families of the victims of the stadium disaster, very little benefit has been derived by the families, according to many of them.
Justice has also eluded the families of the victims of the disaster for 22 years as the commission set up by the Ghana government to investigate the incident found no one culpable for the fatal stampede.
As chairman of Kumasi Asante Kotoko at the time of the Accra stadium disaster, Herbert Mensah has taken a personal responsibility over the years in an effort to replace the despair of these families facing unnatural disasters with hope.
Included in the past few years in the May 9 remembered charity projects are surgeries for needy sick children at KATH, gas explosion victims, flood victims, physically challenged people and school fees for many other families of the victims and other needy people.
Interplast has committed to supporting the May 9 charity project championed by Herbert Mensah as part of their corporate social responsibility to the people of Ghana, without whom their businesses will not thrive in the country.
This year, a Chinese charity, the Shen Yang & Shen Yuet Children’s Heart Foundation, named after 17-year-old Shen Yang, a hole-in-heart survivor and his brother, both sons of Chinese investor Shen Yan Chang, the founder and chairman of the SUNDA & KEDA International Group of Companies joined hands with Herbert Mensah and his May 9 Foundation and paid for the surgeries of eleven (11) children who suffered from a hole-in-heart disease.
‘’So far surgeries have been done for about eleven (11) children with a hole- in -heart disease at Korle Bu. 9 of them were successful and two could not make it. Each of the surgeries costs between $6000-$14000.’’, Herbert Mensah told newsmen.
He continued, ‘’the entire costs is covered by the Shen Yang & Shen Yuet Children’s Heart Foundation which was started by one of my business associates. As secretary of this children’s heart foundation we intend to do between 20 and 30 surgeries every year for the next 10 years.’’
Herbert Mensah also added, ‘’we’re changing lives, we’ve taken pressure off the shoulders of many families, so this for me is an extraordinary thing that is going on and I am happy that the Shen Yang & Shen Yuet Children’s Heart Foundation and the May 9 Foundation could put together this 10-year long project costing up to nearly $2M for the benefit of Ghanaian families.’’
Herbert Mensah thanked sponsors of this year’s charity events for their continued interest in the life-long project.
“Sponsors like Interplast, GBfoods, RED EAGLE RICE, SUNDA group including KEDA and Twyford, Shen Yang & Shen Yuet Children’s Heart Foundation, Kessben Media, Manhyia palace and Kumasi Asante Kotoko share the value of empathy with the May 9 foundation for those who suffered that day and those who continue to suffer from other afflictions such as children with a hole-in-heart disease through no fault of theirs. We appreciate their continued support in the years gone by and those ahead”, he added.
