NLA GIVES TO DZORWULU SPECIAL SCHOOL

By Felix Engsalige Nyaaba

Mrs. Victoria Sackey, Headmistress of the Dzorwulu Special School has called on parents and guardians who have mentally challenge children not to hide such children   in their homes but rather bring them to the school for proper upkeep.

She said, the continued keeping or hiding the mentally challenge children in their homes would rather opened them to trauma, rejection and humiliation by the society.

Mrs. Sackey made the call when the National Lotto Authority (NLA) presented items worth GHC5, 000 to the school at the weekend in Accra.

She said the students of the school, who are mentally retarded had talents that must be developed.

According to the Headmistress, parental neglect sometimes contributed to mental retardation among the children, citing a six year-old child who had not slept for most part of the years because of parental neglect.

“Some of the children here are not  really  mentally sick,  but parent neglect  and some  would be cured when conditioned, as he or she sees  the  friends sleeping  he or she will adopt to it, and God willing  some are gaining recovery, " Mrs. Sackey  said.

She however, appealed to parents to show love to children with disability no matter their condition.

The Headmistress also appealed to NGOS to assist the school as it lack certain amenities such as bus, beds and other infrastructure.

She expressed appreciation to the National Lotto Authority (NLA) and pledged that the items would be use for the benefit of the neglected children.

The  items included nine bags of rice, two cartons of cooking oil, Toilet-Roll, one big gallon of cooking oil and assorted Drinks all valued at about  GHC5, 000 to the inmates.
Presenting the items, the director in charge of special projects, Mr. George Gyemfi-Osew, said the NLA have been touched by the plight of the inmate and as part of its social responsibility decided to put smile on the faces of the neglected children and to keep them as part of the human society.

He said members of the benevolent societies and government institutions must collaborate to address the needs of the mentally retard children as well as other underprivileged per­sons in the society.
Mr. Gyemfi-Osew said, state institutions in par­ticular must not shy away from its   primary respon­sibility of lending a helping hand to the vulnerable in the society.

He noted that, apart from generating revenue to the state, the authority also aims at assisting the needy and neglected in society and promised more of that would be donated to the School and similar institutions and organizations.

According to Mr. Gyemfi-Osew, the NLA directorate of special projects has adopted the school to be part of its annual affairs to celebrate Easter with the children and would continue to donate to the school every year.

He pledged to assist the School to put up a Dining Hall and other necessary infrastructure in the nearest possible time and urged member of the general public not to see the mentally children as outcast in society.

Mr. Gyemfi- Osew after presenting the items to the school also disclosed that, the NLA had donated an amount of GHC1, 000 to the Joy FM Easter Soup Kitchen to fest children who are neglected by the society.