North Dayi DCE, Edmund Kudjoh Atta presenting a tricycle carrier to a beneficiary farmer with walking difficulty .
Over 51 persons living with disabilities in the North Dayi District of the Volta Region have been supported with start-up kits and other business support items worth GHC150.000 to help improve their living standards.
The items including refrigerators, popcorn-making machines, tricycles, electric sewing machines, sacks of cereals and assorted provisions worth additional start-up capital of Ghc200.00 each.
The items which is a shift from the previous disbursement of cash is part of a new strategy dubbed “Local Economic Development ” initiated by the government to ensure the capacity of PWDS were enhanced to make live dignified lives instead of making them dependants.
The District Social Welfare Officer, Diana Agbo advised the PWDS to desist from the habit of selling the items instead of using them to improve their lives for the long term.
She also cautioned parents with children who are PWDS against hiding them, but rather make them known by the Social Welfare officials for the needed support to make them live dignified lives.
The District Chief Executive (DCE), Edmund Kudjoh Atta said the increase of the Disability Fund from two to three percent of the District Assembly Common Funds (DACF) was an indication of the Akufo-Addo government’s commitment towards improving the life of PWDs and the less privileged in society.
He persuaded the PWDS to embrace the new modalities of equipping them than the previous exercise of sharing cash that run out in no time.
Mr. Kudjoh Atta warned the beneficiaries to desist from begging on the streets and invest that energy into making good use of the items to earn the same money they would have been begging for or even better; just as previous beneficiaries have done.
The DCE who is also the Parliamentary Candidate on the ticket of the governing NPP announced that a welfare task force will periodically go round to monitor and ensure the beneficiaries are making good use of them.
He announced that apart from the start-up GHC7,175.00 was used support the education of 13 students who live with disabilities while GHC8,000.00 was used to cater for the health needs 15 PWDs.
Ana Tetteh, a visually impaired was full of tears when she was given a refrigerator for her water business. Fath Adekpo, a farmer who has walking disabilities said the tricycle will go a long way to prevent his farm produce from rotting on the farm. He said he will also rent it out to make extra income.
Aides and guardians of the beneficiaries promised to give adequate support to the PWDs to ensure they get a better life.
From Fred Duodu, Ho (k.duodu@yahoo.com)