The Aide á la vulnèrabillitè, a charity-based group in Bolgatanga is appealing for support for the Gbeogo School for the Deaf in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region.

The group is made of health professionals in diverse fields in the Region, and had over the years organized medical screening services and donated gift items to the less privileged including the Mother of Mercy Babies Home at Sirigu and the Navrongo Central Prison.

The Organisation also screened students at the Gbeogo School for the Deaf and recently partnered the Centre for Child Development (CCD) and Children's Ministry of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR) in the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Diocese to screen street children in the Bolgatanga Municipality.

Mr Charles Lwanga Moandiyiem Tabase, the Chairman of the group who made the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said after the screening conducted at the Gbeogo School for the Deaf, the organisation conducted needs assessment in the school.

"In the assessment, we realised several problems, but one which draws attention is a new block which has been in existence for about two years. The roof of the boy's hostel is also ripped off because of last year's rains.

"We don't know what will happen after COVID. If they happen to return to school, they will not have a place to stay. We are working at getting funds to extend electricity to the new block. They have not moved into that block because there is no electricity," he said.

Mr Tabase called on members of the public to assist the school, and said "We have started already, by the end of January, we are hoping that we will extend electricity to the new block, and there is more work to be done in the school."

He said the students would need electricity to study and communicate at night since they use sign language to communicate among themselves, adding "We are calling on everyone to come on board and help, otherwise there will be a problem after COVID and worst off, when the rains set in."

The Chairman said the worst fear for the deaf was to lose their sense of sight, and stressed that once they could not see, it would affect their academic activities and their sign language communication.

Touching on the Organisation's screening of street children during the Christmas period, Mr Tabase disclosed that out of about 108 children examined for various conditions, 33 per cent tested positive for malaria and 39.8 per cent had worm infection.

He said 4.6 per cent were diagnosed of Respiratory Tract Infection, while 2.7 per cent had gastritis, and Ear, Nose and Throat infections respectively, the rest of the children he said had other conditions related to issues of personal hygiene among others.