GMA Donates to Street Academy

By Pacome Emmanuel Damalie

The Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) donated food items and money to the Street Academy to support the course of the academy at the Art Centre in Accra.

The management of the GMA led by the Director General, Mr Kwame Owusu and accompanied by his deputy Mr Daniel Appianin and some other members of the team, on Monday donated 20 bags of rice and three cartons of cooking oil, and cheque for GH¢30,000 to the academy as part of their corporate social responsibilities.

The academy gathers a number of street and under privileged children and equips them with the necessary skills, depending on the area of ability of the child including boxing, tennis, football, cultural dance and other facets of the child's specialisation.

Speaking to Times Sports after the presentation, Mr Kwame Owusu lauded the efforts of the staff and admonished parents to compliment the efforts of the academy.

"We believe it is laudable; we felt it is necessary for us to come in and play our role. I am very much touched by the teachers and other staff that commit themselves to help change others.

"For the parents, I think whatever their circumstances may be, they must to do things to compliment the good things that the people here are doing so that their children can become responsible members of the society," he said.

He also called on other corporate bodies to help in any way that they can to support the good works of the academy.

The director general and founder of Street Academy, Mr Ataa Lartey, expressed his excitement at the gesture and promised to put them to a good and judicious use.

"If you are doing something and the community does not appreciate you, then you are at a loss. So, this will also encourage us to work harder. We pledge to put these donations to good use to add value to the support given us," he stated.

He indicated that though they have not met their GH¢72,000 for the academic calendar, he is optimistic that sympathisers would extend help to the academy. He also called on corporate bodies to take interest in the academy and support their agenda to help reduce the number of children on the street.

The academy currently has an enrollment of 45 street children for the new academic year , but is subject to be increased to 80 children by the end of the year.

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