The Street Academy, a Non-Governmental Organization engaged in the upkeep of children on and off the streets has decided to organize a sponsored Walk to draw and sensitize the public about their plight and problems and the measures being put in place to ameliorate their situation. The sponsored Walk dubbed "Education for the Needy and Deprived", comes off in Accra on 28th July to start from the Hearts of Oak’s training grounds at the Arts centre through Osu and back to the starting point. Ms Joana Darkoa Ofori, Project Development Co-ordinator of the Street Academy said the Walk is also aimed at soliciting public concern, sympathy and support towards the upliftment and care of the children to have an improved way of life. She said this when she received a cheque of two million cedis and 20 ‘T’ shirts donated by the Department of National Lotteries (DNL)in support of the Walk. Ms Ofori said the Walk also aims at introducing the children o the Academy to the public to see their potential and to solicit the public’s support towards their upkeep. She therefore appealed to the public to come out in their numbers to inspire and encourage the children who are a deprived group and forced by circumstances to fend for themselves on the streets by joining the walk and show goodwill through their support and encouragement. Mr Charles Mensah, Director, Finance and Administration of DNL said the donation forms part of Authority’s corporate responsibility to assist and encourage the less privileged in the society. He said the donation is their widow’s might in supporting the Academy in proper care of the children so as not to make them feel neglected since most of them are forced to face their predicament through no fault of theirs. Mr Victor Quartey, who presented the cheque on behalf of DHL advised the children to make use of the non-formal and educational opportunities at the Academy to learn trades and vocations to become useful citizens in their communities. Mr Ataa Lartey, Director of the Street Academy said the upkeep and training of especially under-privileged children should be a shared responsibility of all in the society and called for public support to compliment the efforts of the Academy. He noted that when children are properly groomed and giving the necessary training at their tender ages they would grow to become useful citizens in their communities and not be liabilities and social misfits. Source: GNA