By Godfred A. Polkuu
Bolgatanga, March 12, GNA – Persons with Disability (PWDs) at the Bolgatanga Rehabilitation Centre in the Upper East Region have appealed to the Government, philanthropists, and Non-Governmental Organisations to support them with food items.
The Centre, also a training facility for PWDs, was closed about 10 years ago for lack of feeding grants and learning materials but started operations in August 2011.
It has a population of 38 PWDs undergoing training in hairdressing, fashion and design, rural craft, leather work, smock weaving and Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
Mr Ben Arabogo Azumah, the Manager of the Centre, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said even though it had no accommodation and water challenges, food was a major challenge to the trainees.
“The only thing we need now is food. Even if we get cash donations, we will still buy food. All that we need is food. We even prefer food to money. Just bring us food,” he appealed.
Mr Azumah said medical care for the trainees was another challenge.
“Some of them are epileptic and management has reached out to the mental health unit who come periodically to assess them,” he said.
“But to get the medication is a problem. We buy it for some of them. In fact, some have never attended hospital, their family members have abandoned them. It is a serious issue.”
“We will need the support of the media to sensitise members of the public, especially at the community level, to know that disability is not a curse.”
The Manager said some families locked up relatives with disabilities at home feeling embarrassed to go into public with them and advised against the act.
“Once they are locked at home and we get to know and pick them up, the relatives should reach out and not neglect them. They should regard them as human beings who need care.”
Mr Azumah commended Reverend Dr Comfort Asare, the National Director, Department of Social Welfare for prioritising the needs of the Centre.
“This Centre is very dear to her, since we began operations, she ensured that all teachers needed for the various programmes were posted to us, and they are all at post.”
“We do not have problems with human resource. She even dispatched an ICT teacher from the Volta Region to the Centre. What we need is food and for communities to bring persons with disability here, and support us to cater for them.”
He also appealed for more equipment, especially sewing machines, to facilitate training.
“We reopened the Centre with six machines and six students studying fashion and design, but today, we have 13 students on that programme and each person would need a sewing machine,” he said.
Mr Azumah commended benevolent individuals in the region, who helped to refurbish the Centre, and appealed for more support from stakeholders to train PWDs into productive human resource.
GNA