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SOCIAL

Disability is not inability- DCE

Mr. Martin Obeng, the District Chief Executive (DCE), for Sunyani West has stated that being a person with disability (PWD) did not mean lack of talent and intellectual capacity.

Date Created : 8/21/2019 12:00:00 AM : Story Author : Evans Donkoh

He said unfortunately, some PWDs preferred to be pitied by society, through begging for alms, which only contributed greatly to suppress the natural potentials and innate qualities and kills the spirit of creativity and innovation that could exploited to earn a decent living.

Mr. Obeng said this at a ceremony to present start-up capital to 27 People with Disabilities (PWDs) within the District to engage in various business activities to enhance their socio-economic livelihoods.

The packages included refrigerators, wheel barrows, shovels, pickaxes, machetes, mobile phone battery charging machines, plastic chairs and fufu pounding machines, depending on the individuals needs and request made to the Assembly.

But some of the beneficiaries received undisclosed sums of monies for different purposes like education, healthcare and business expansion.

It was funded by the Assembly, from the three per cent of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) allocated to PWDs. The beneficiaries were selected and recommended by the District branch of the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFDs).

Mr. Obeng therefore advised PWDs to desist from pitying themselves and rather take advantage of the job-creation and livelihood empowerment and enhancement opportunities created for them by government, through the disability fund of the DACF, to do something better and more honourable for their survival rather than begging for alms.

He urged the beneficiaries to stick to the objective of the package, saying that, they must work with them for a reliable and sustainable means of living.

Mr. Isaac Owusu-Ansah, a beneficiary, on behalf of his colleagues, expressed gratitude to the Assembly and the government for the support, adding that, the items would help to improve their standard of living and lessen their predicaments.

Mr. Anthony Kuu-Inle, the District Social Welfare Officer told the Ghana News Agency later in an interview that, his office would undertake regular supervision and monitoring to ensure the stipulated use of the packages by the beneficiaries.