Newcastle player Christian Atsu has rendered help to underprivileged people in his homeland with his own cash – recently freeing an African family facing jail for stealing corn.
Atsu, 26, is having tough time at Newcastle this season as he is yet to score or assist a goal in the Premier League – and has only managed to start in one game for Toon Army.
Rafa Benitez‘s men are bouncing back from a horrid start of the campaign – travelling to Burnley on Monday after picking up their first two wins in the Premier League.
While good times are yet to come for Atsu on the football pitch this season, he certainly spreads joy off the pitch with his charity work.
The Ghanaian has recently rescued a mother with two daughters from going to jail after they had stolen a pinch of corn, Chronicle reports.
The goods were valued at around £1, and the family was charged £50 for their petty theft – an amount they could not raise.
Atsu, however, came to rescue and donated triple the sum to the charity, freeing the family.
The Newcastle ace has joined forces with African nation’s Crime Check Foundation (CCF) and has already helped release nine African prisoners.
However, he has contributed much more from his own pocket, a charity spokesperson confirms.
He said: “He has so far donated seven thousand pounds into the Petty Offenders Fund which has been launched by our Crime Check Foundation to take care of misdemeanours. “The amount will cater for about thirty prisoners.
“He is providing money to assist poor and voiceless prisoners who require legal counsel and is supporting many inmates with petty fines on them to be released from prison.”
Atsu, who says he was raised in a family with “very little money and very little food”, has been involved in charity work for years now.