The items which included chocolate, Chocolim and Milo drinks were donated to the school on behalf of the ministry by the upper west regional director of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Henry Yelduor.

Henry said the donation is to support the children to celebrate this year’s Valentine's Day which has been rechristened national chocolate day.

This year’s national chocolate day is celebrated on theme ‘‘chocolate: the gift of love.’’

‘‘We want to show love to the children who are abandoned and neglected. People forget about them on occasions like this but we want to remember them," Mr Yelduor said.

"In showing your love, lets us move away from the usual talks of sex and other things and rather eat chocolate to show your love to your friends and loved ones, he added.

The headmaster of the Wa School for the Deaf, Samuel Babiina Babiinuo thanked the ministry of tourism and creative arts for the kind gesture and called on other benevolent organizations to come to their aid.

He said as a deprived institution, they only rely on feeding grants which are inadequate.

The school has a pupil population of 45 drawn from all 11 municipalities and districts in the region.

Unfortunately, some of them have been neglected and abandoned by their parents after they enrolled in the school.

The heavy burden of taking care of them now rests solely on the shoulders of their instructors.

Head of the mental unit of the Wa School for the Deaf, Sylvester Bayor called on the public to disregard the perception that children who are intellectually deficient are dangerous.

‘‘There are normal kids, and very lovely. It is a mental condition they are going through and which could be improved if their families and the public support them,’’ he added.