Some two physically challenged brothers, Abubakari Abdul Rashid , 11, and Abubakari Yakubu, 5 , pupils of Northern Islamic Primary in the Savelugu Municipality of the Northern region risk dropping out of school due to the lack of means of transport and learning materials.
Abubakari Abdul Rashid and Abubakari Yakubu are physically challenged in the legs and only crawls to enable them move from one place to another.
The brothers even though they are in school, movement from home to the school has become a challenge because their tricycle which is the only source of transport to them has damaged beyond repairs.
Normally, the senior most brother Rashid carries his junior brother Yakubu on his tricycle to school each day but now that the tricycle is faulty going to school may become extremely difficult for them when schools reopen in January 2021 because they will be unable to walk to school due to their condition.
When DGN Online visited them in Savelugu , Abubakari Rashid said their tricycle got damaged months ago.
“ the tricycle is made of wood and most of the wooden parts of the tricycle has damaged and cannot be used again so myself and my brother crawls from one place to the other and fortunately we are not going to school because of covid-19.”
According to him, they lacked learning materials because they were from a deprived home and that their parents cannot afford most of their needs.
He indicated that begging on the streets of Tamale poses a great danger to them but they have no choice than to do that to earn something to take care of themselves.
“ we will appreciate it if someone or group of persons can support us in Savelugu with food , our education and any other thing so that we will stay here instead of going to Tamale to beg on the streets because it’s always risky in Tamale.”
Rashid however lamented about stigmatization from his colleagues in school, adding that sometimes it discourages him and also distracts him from concentrating in class.
“ sometimes my colleagues laugh at me in school because of my condition which affects me in class , I sometimes report them to our teacher who punishes them but others are very good to me and supports me in class as well.”
Abubakari Abdul Rashid and Abubakari Yakubu,are therefore appealing to the general public , philanthropists, organizations to come to their aid to support them with a tricycle , school uniforms , learning materials , food among others to support their education.
Mr. Abubakari Yussif, father of the two physically challenged kids told DGN Online that he was a poor farmer.
He called on individuals, institutions and philanthropists to come to the aid of his kids.
The Sustainable Development Goal 4 which Ghana is signed onto calls for ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for all but the condition of Abubakari Abdul Rashid and
Abubakari Yakubu could deny them the opportunity.
FROM Eric Kombat, Savelugu