Use items to improve on your livelihood — Ga Central MCE

The Social Welfare and Community Development Department of the Ga Central Municipal Assembly in the Greater Accra Region has disbursed a number of items to people with disabilities (PWDs) in the municipality to assist them in improving on their livelihood.

Beneficiaries of the items were advised to use the items to prevent them from begging for alms on the roads, and not sell or give them away.

The 17 recipients made up of 12 males and seven females were presented with items including deep freezers, ovens, industrial sewing machines, fabrics, Bibles and Christian literature, detergents, charcoal and cash amounting to GH¢75,000.

The Ga Central Municipal Assembly’s Director of Social Welfare and Community Development, Lydia Apaalah, said the disbursement of the first batch of items which took place on the assembly’s premises last Tuesday would be followed by the second one before the end of the year.

She said there were many PWDs who applied for the support but they could not be covered in the first batch and assured such people to look forward to receiving theirs soon.

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Ambrose Edward Tsegah, who presented the items to the beneficiaries, said the Disability Common Fund (DCF) which is backed by the Disability Act 715 is a social protection programme aimed at alleviating poverty among persons with disabilities, as part of the government’s responsibility to support PWDs in the Ga Central Municipality and the country at large.

“The gesture from this assembly and for that matter the government should help in reducing poverty and hardship among PWDs, especially those in the informal sector like you, in order to enhance your standard of living by serving as a means of income to you, Mr Tsegah stressed.

Inspiration 

The MCE told the PWDs who received the items that their ability to live with disability today was a celebration of their strength, resilience and potential, adding that their ability to overcome their challenges was an inspiration to everybody including members of the Ga Central Municipal Assembly. 

He stated that despite the challenges of the PWDs, they had shown what it meant to strive, to persist and to achieve despite the hurdles that life might present to them, stressing “this initiative is about recognising the potential that you have, which can turn into reality in your favour.”

“The Ga Central Municipal Assembly would like you the PWDs in the municipality to gain economic independence for your good. Economic independence is not just a goal but it is a right that every one of you (the PWDs) deserves the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to your lives and to society as a whole.” 

“By empowering PWDs, we are not only empowering their lives but also enhancing the fabric of our community. An inclusive society is a thriving society and an economy that works for everyone is an economy that benefits all,” he emphasised.

Support

Mr Tsegah gave an assurance that the assembly as part of its core mandate would continue to support the PWDs by empowering them to earn a decent living, and stressed the need for the beneficiaries to put the items and the cash received for the intended purposes.

He added that the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development would team up with the Disability Fund Committee members of the assembly to monitor the recipients in the various communities.

A recipient, Prince Acheampong, who is a composer, thrilled the gathering with some of his songs to the admiration of all. He said their disability was not inability and pleaded with society not to look down on them as they had different talents to contribute to the development of society. 

The Presiding Member of the Assembly, Michael Acquah, who chaired the function, also stressed the need for the recipients to use the items well in their own interest.