By Emmanuel Ofosu
Tutuka (Ash), Aug. 29, GNA – Dr Patrick Boakye Yiadom, the Member of Parliament for Obuasi East, has lauded the Government for introducing the Disability Fund to cater for the needs of the vulnerable.
He said the disbursement of the fund had been of immense help to Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) in the district, taking them off the streets.
Dr Boakye Yiadom was interacting with the media after he joined the District Chief Executive, Madam Faustina Amissah, to present some items to some PWDs.
The items included deep freezers, popcorn machines, fufu pounding machines and 17 bags of charcoal.
The Government introduced the Disability Fund to provide one-off financial support to PWDs through its decentralised political units.
That was to enable them to participate in socio-economic activities, generate income and live economically independent lives.
Dr Boakye said apart from the Fund, his office and the District Assembly had collaborated to roll out certain skill training programmes, which had benefitted most people.
“We have implemented a series of skills training programmes for the people of Obuasi East to improve their livelihoods and make them economically independent. A lot of PWDs here are direct beneficiaries of such programmes,” he said and advised the beneficiaries to make good use of the items.
Madam Amissah, on her part, said a chunk of the allocations of the fund went into economic empowerment to bring total transformation to the lives of the people.
“Out of the 22 beneficiaries, 16 of them benefitted from economic support, which was laudable. This is done to cushion them to be self-reliant and bring relief to themselves and their families. Again, six people were also given medical and educational support,” she said.
Madam Amissah assured the PWDs of the Assembly’s commitment to promptly disburse the fund immediately after it hits its account.
She said the Assembly would intensify its monitoring strategies to ensure that items presented were put to good use.
Mr Kwame Ankrah, the Chairman of the Obuasi East Federation of Disability, said the demonstrable commitment by the Assembly to the prompt disbursement of the fund was commendable and urged the beneficiaries to put the items to good use.
GNA