The saying that behind every successful man there is a strong and wise woman holds true at the Manhyia Palace.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II appreciates the role his wife, Lady Julia, has played in the success story of his reign.
Speaking to the Graphic at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi last Saturday, as part of his 20 Years on the Golden Stool anniversary celebration, Otumfuo Osei Tutu said "being Asantehene is demanding and you need to have a wife who understands you."
He said most often the only day that he finds time to sit down with his wife and children were on Saturdays.
Serwaa Ampem Foundation
With quality and sustainable health care services to all Ghanaians one of his core priorities, Otumfuo Osei Tutu in 2002 established the Serwaa Ampem Foundation for Children and put Lady Julia at the helm.
She has also been the pillar of the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Charity Foundation (OOCTF) where she chairs the Board of Trustees.
The Asantehene observed that the strides made by the Serwaa Ampem Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, named after his mother, the late Asantehemaa, Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II, attested to the industry of his wife.
The Foundation handles the health component of the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Charity Foundation, which seeks to improve the lives of Ghanaians by implementing the ideals, values and visions of its patron, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and thereby use it as a vehicle in the transformation of Africa. Programmes
Of specific importance in the activities of the Serwaa Ampem Foundation is children infected with HIV/AIDS and family planning.
This has been in response to the high levels of discrimination and stigmatisation children infected with the disease face.Other notable programmes being implemented by the foundation are the Otumfuo Mobile Dental Project and the Serwaa Ampem Orphanage of Wheels, which have supported over 150,00 children and other young people.Vehicles carrying health professionals go to the town’s and villages to offer dental services to the people and orphans.A latest report by the OOCTF said the health programmes being undertaken by the Serwaa Ampem Foundation had been limited to advocacy, infrastructural and materials support. Advocacy Lady Julia and her outfit have been in the forefront of health promotion, especially disease prevention programmes, notably in HIV, tuberculosis, immunisation and malaria.In collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Bank and the Ghana Health Service, the Serwaa Ampem Foundation undertook a pioneering work […]