Beggars urged to find decent alternative

The President of the International Inner Wheel Club of Accra, Mrs Betty Sowah-Allotey, has appealed to beggars to look for more decent alternatives of making money.

She noted that it was surprising to find some people who could be gainfully employed begging for alms.

Mrs Sowah-Allotey was speaking when the Club donated rice, cooking oil, canned fish, sugar and soap among other items to the Frafraha Orphanage, in Accra.

She stated that even though it was the responsibility of society to help the needy, it was wrong for people to take undue advantage to beg for money, even though they were capable of earning a decent living.

Mrs Sowah-Allotey said however that it was the responsibility of all and sundry to assist the vulnerable such as orphans, disabled and disaster victims, who genuinely needed help.

Madam Victoria Abraham, Headmistress of the Orphanage, said only a few relatives of some of the children visited the institution while other inmates had been completely abandoned with no trace of relatives.

She said children sent to the Home by relatives because their parents were not available for one reason or the other hardly got visitors.

The Headmistress said it was interesting to note that when these children grew into adults after being taken care of at the Orphanage, their relatives showed up for them.

Mrs Abraham narrated the story of how a five-year old boy was abandoned as a newborn just behind the main gate of the Orphanage.

She said there were 40 boys and 10 girls in the Orphanage and noted that most people were interested in keeping female children who were orphaned but sent young boys to the Orphanage.

The headmistress appealed for assistance in the form of classroom buildings, good learning materials and the provision of pipe-borne water.

The International Inner Wheel Club is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to assisting the needy. Its membership mainly consists of wives of members of the Rotary Club.

Source: GNA