By Daniel Agbesi Latsu
Kadjebi (O/R), July 16, GNA – Thirty Differently Abled Persons in the Kadjebi District of the Oti Region have received livelihood support equipment from the Kadjebi District Assembly to enhance their economic independence and improve their standard of living.
The items, procured from the Assembly’s five per cent allocation of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) for persons with disabilities, included corn mills, fufu pounding machines, hair dryers, refrigerators, computers and accessories.
Presenting the equipment to the beneficiaries at Kadjebi, Dr Sam Issaka Suraj, the Kadjebi District Chief Executive (DCE), urged them to use the items for their intended purposes and refrain from selling them.
“These are not gifts of charity. They are tools of dignity and capital for independence,” he said.
Dr Suraj reminded the beneficiaries that the equipment came with responsibility, stressing the need for proper maintenance to ensure their longevity and productivity.
“Use them well, maintain them and let them multiply your income. Do not sell them,” he advised.
The DCE also encouraged the beneficiaries to form or join cooperative groups, keep proper business records and make prudent use of the equipment to expand their enterprises.
He said the Assembly would undertake monitoring exercises within the next six months to assess the impact of the support and ensure that the equipment was being put to productive use.
Dr Suraj noted that the Government remained committed to improving the welfare of persons with disabilities, adding that the allocation of the Persons with Disabilities Fund under the DACF had been increased from three per cent to five per cent to provide greater support for their socio-economic development.
He said empowering vulnerable persons was central to the development agenda of the Assembly.
“When one person becomes economically independent, an entire family is uplifted, and ultimately the whole district benefits,” he said.
Mr Isaac Robson Klu, District Director, Department of Social Welfare and Community Development, Kadjebi District, said the equipment was carefully selected based on the beneficiaries’ vocational skills and business interests to help them establish or expand income-generating activities.
He urged the beneficiaries to take good care of the items and use them responsibly to improve their livelihoods.
Mr Klu said officers from the Department would periodically monitor the beneficiaries to assess the utilisation of the equipment and provide the necessary technical guidance where required.
Madam Favour Mensah, speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, expressed gratitude to the Government and the District Assembly for the intervention.
She pledged that the beneficiaries would make effective use of the equipment to become self-reliant, improve their incomes and contribute meaningfully to the socio-economic development of their communities.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah /George-Ramsey Benamba