The Akatsi-North District Assembly in the Volta Region has supported 123 People Living with Disabilities (PWDs) in education, health and skills development.
This is part of the government’s policy to empower and provide an enabling environment for PWDs to improve on their living conditions and contribute meaningfully to national development.
The District Assembly in collaboration with the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development (DSWCD) have provided training in employable skills and income generation activities with start-up capitals, provision of technical aids, devices, working tools, registration under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and supported those at the various levels of education.
Presenting cheques and working tools to another batch of beneficiary PWDs at the district capital, Ave-Dakpa, the District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Simon Peter Ofosu said the era when PWDs were only given pocket money was over and that equipping them with employable skills and helping them to establish their own businesses was economically viable.
Mr Ofosu said government policy to address economic challenges confronting PWDs was being implemented at the Assembly through the PWD component of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF), which was used by the Assembly to improve the living conditions of the beneficiaries in the District.
He explained that the Akatsi-North Assembly formed the Disability Fund Management Committee (DFMC) which was tasked to identify PWDs to form a group that would easily benefit from the disability fund and said the Assembly had shown much commitment to the wellbeing of PWDs in the area.
According to the DCE, much as the Assembly was committed to ensuring that PWDs were provided with the needed support, they (PWDs) should support the activities of the Assembly by ensuring that they register with the latter to enable them benefit from the assistance being given by them(Assembly.)
Mr Ofosu said government’s support for PWDs was linked to the Sustainable Development Goal Eight and Ten, which is aimed at ensuring economic empowerment to improve their livelihoods and mitigate the vulnerability they face in the society among others.
The DCE also appealed to the PWDs who received support in the area of education, to take advantage of the available opportunities they were enjoying to learn hard to justify the investment government was making in them to become successful in their chosen academic careers.
According to the DCE, the Assembly did not impose anything on the PWDs, but tried as much as possible to provide the demands that they made, as some of them requested for corn mills, sewing machines and refrigerators to enable them to sell sachet water, plastic chairs and canopies for hiring, which were provided for them.
Mr Ofosu, however, advised the beneficiaries to put the items to good use that would help transform their lives and cautioned against sale of the items because the Assembly would regularly monitor them.
The Akatsi-North District Social Welfare and Community Development (SWCD) Officer, Mr Isaac Abanga, assured the PWDs who applied but did not benefit yet to be patient because processes to secure their equipment were underway and would soon receive them.
