The District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Adzoteye Lawer Akrofi, presenting an item to Ophelia Okutu, a physically challenged person
The District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Adzoteye Lawer Akrofi, presenting an item to Ophelia Okutu, a physically challenged person

Ada West District celebrates disability day

The Ada West District Assembly in the Greater Accra Region has celebrated this year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) at Sege, the district capital, with a call on the PWDs to engage in viable ventures in order to be financially self-reliant, independent and comfortable.

This year’s programme was on the theme; ‘’Empowering Persons with Disabilities and Ensuring Inclusiveness and Equality’’.

The District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Adzoteye Lawer Akrofi, who made the call at the event which coincided with the disbursement of items to the PWDs said, the aim of the government in the establishment of the fund for PWDs known as Global Resource Opportunity for Women to Thrive (GROWTH) was to reduce poverty of PWDs who were vulnerable in the society.

A total of 307 persons, made up of 152 males and 155 females, benefited from this year’s fund for economic and business support, health and supportive devices, equipment and educational purposes.

Items

The items they received included deep freezers, over-lock machines, sewing machines with motors attached, barbers  kits with sterilisers, embroidery/designing machines, double-door fridges, spraying machines and wheel chairs.

‘‘The purpose of this fund is to reduce poverty, improve upon the livelihood of persons with disability and also to scrap off begging on the street among this marginalised group’’, Mr Akrofi explained.  

He said over the years, the Ada West District had facilitated the disbursement of funds to PWDs in the various communities in the district and encouraged the young ones to enrol in school and various forms of apprenticeship, all in a bid to empower them and make them self-reliant.

He said the district had also linked some beneficiaries to other social interventions such as the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme.

‘‘As today also marks the International Day of PWDs, I will use this opportunity to admonish all to support PWDs to attain their self-respect, rights, welfare and security in their communities and society as a whole’’, he pleaded.

He said the way forward for the district was to establish at least 20 PWDs during each year’s disbursement in order to adequately sustain them and reduce the pressure on the fund.

He said data collected recently on PWDs revealed over 500 persons with various forms of disabilities in the district and expressed the hope that in some few years to come, majority of those persons would be established in a way that would sustain them for a very long time.

President of PWDs

The President of the Ghana Federation of the Disabled, Mr Theophilus Awudu Amuyao, reiterated the need for PWDs to join the association to create a strong front and also give them a common voice and platform to address their issues.

He also admonished all PWDs who needed assistance to apply for the fund, adding the fund when accessed, should be used for the intended purposes to improve upon their living standards.  



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