United Way Ghana, a not-for-profit organisation has embarked on its annual outreach programme dubbed “day of caring.” As part of the programme, six hundred volunteers across the country traded their computers, desks and plush offices for paint and brushes, pick axes, and hammers to improve the lives of the less privileged in the society. Inmates at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, one of the beneficiaries of the programme, were full of admiration when volunteers of the United Way Ghana team supervised by Help-age Ghana gave the male and female Geriatric wards a face-lift. The volunteers scrubbed the bathrooms of the wards and painted the interior with an adorable cream and blue colour combination. Agyin Frimpong, Senior enroll nurse at the ward in an interview with Myjoyonline.com thanked United Way Ghana for their selflessness and volunteerism. But in a typical case of Oliver Twist, he said the hospital lacked many facilities which when provided will go a long way to improving lives of the inmates. Among the many needs include adequate water supply, mattresses and bed sheets as well as television to entertain the inmates. Apart from the activities at the Psychiatric Hospital, six other projects are to be undertaken by the volunteers of United Way Ghana.They include; Laying of foundations for a new library for the Akropong School of the Blind; renovating and painting a common room at the Mother Theresa School for Girls; installing new windows in the class room block at the Bawjiase orphanage and finishing the first floor of the resource centre at the Manya Krobo Community by play soccer Ghana. Spelling out the rationale for the Day of caring initiative which is held on or around Valentine Day each year, the executive director of United Way Ghana, Karen Shormeh Sai told volunteers and media men the initiative is to “redirect the spirit of love and compassion inherent in the Valentine’s day tradition toward community building activities. Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana