By Frank Kwame Abbor
Ho, Aug. 25, GNA – The Ho Municipal Assembly has provided financial support and business equipment to 76 Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) to improve their livelihoods and promote economic independence.
The beneficiaries received the support under the 37th disbursement of the Persons with Disabilities Common Fund, covering income-generating activities, education, healthcare and organisational development.
The assistance package included capital items such as freezers, fufu-pounding machines, sewing machines, poly tanks and laptop computers, while some beneficiaries received cash support to establish or expand their businesses.
Mr Alexander Korsi Akpo, Chairman of the Municipal Common Fund Management Committee, urged the beneficiaries to use the support for its intended purpose to ensure that the intervention achieved its objectives.
He cautioned against selling or abandoning the items, stressing that the support was aimed at creating sustainable opportunities for beneficiaries to become self-reliant rather than dependent on others.
Mr Akpo also advised PWDs to desist from street begging and take advantage of opportunities provided through the Common Fund and other social protection programmes.
He commended the Government for increasing the allocation to PWDs from three per cent to five per cent of the District Assemblies Common Fund but noted that the allocation remained inadequate to meet the growing needs of the disability community.
“We are praying that a time will come when we can have capital-intensive projects established for persons with disabilities and disability organisations, such as poultry farms,” he said.
Mr Akpo called for greater support from the private sector, civil society organisations, philanthropists and development partners to complement Government interventions.
According to him, such partnerships would help establish sustainable ventures capable of creating employment opportunities and long-term income for PWDs and their organisations.
He cited poultry farming projects and the revival of a collapsed chalk factory as examples of initiatives that could provide sustainable employment and economic empowerment for persons with disabilities.
Mr Stephen Adom, Ho Municipal Chief Executive, said the increased allocation formed part of Government’s efforts to improve the livelihoods and social inclusion of PWDs.
He urged beneficiaries to put the support to productive use and disclosed that the Assembly had established a monitoring committee to track beneficiaries and ensure that the funds and equipment were utilised for their intended purposes.
Mr Adom reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to promoting the welfare and economic empowerment of persons with disabilities in the municipality.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Lydia Kukua Asamoah
