Hohoe (V/R), Jan. 17, GNA-A total of 153 Persons with Disability (PWDs) in the Biakoye District of the Oti region have received economic empowerment items and equipment from the Assembly and government.
The items include; 120 wheel chairs, 10 deep freezers, five standing fridges, 10 fufu milling machines, two plastic chairs, two baking ovens, a metal container and three industrial sewing machines.
Madam Millicent Carboo, Biakoye District Chief Executive (DCE) said the presentation was divided into two parts adding that the economic empowerment was funded by the PWDs common fund allocation while the wheel chairs had been donated by the government of Ghana.
She noted that concerns of PWDs were deep-rooted globally and governments worldwide attached particular attention to programmes, projects or activities that were formulated to the effect.
Madam Carboo said the Disability Act 2014 identified a number of key areas for full inclusion for persons with disability including; right to education, training, employment, adequate health care, housing and to enter public premises and right to access to facilities to ensure a guaranteed satisfaction for PWDs.
“It was out of these considerations that governments, both past and present are and were guided and attached much importance to PWDs and by this, 3 percent of the District Assemblies Common Fund is allocated annually to them to cater for their needs.”
Madam Carboo said PWDs accessed the funds in cash and it was not helpful and that was why members were economically empowered.
“It is therefore expected that within a certain frame of time, impact assessment shall be conducted on Beneficiaries to find out the impact of the fund on members,” she added.
Madam Carboo commended the Government for the collective concern on PWDs and related activities and added that the government would continue to deliver on its credible Social Intervention Programmes to ensure equal rights for all manner of persons in society.
She said the packages the beneficiaries received were not gifts neither were they going to pay for them, but was in recognition of their statuses that the government was presenting the items to them.
Madam Carboo urged elected Assembly members of the District to ensure that all persons with all forms of disability registered with the District Branch to facilitate the collation and compilation of data on PWDs fairly and genuinely.
She commended the District Social Welfare and Community Development Office for their efforts which made social work a success in the District and requested that they consider “fishing out” new members in the District.
The recipients were grateful to the Assembly and the Government for the kind gesture and pledged to put them into good use.
GNA