By Daniel Adu Darko
Goaso, Aug. 25, GNA – Incomplete data on persons with disabilities (PWDs) is undermining efforts to effectively target government support in Asunafo North, Ahafo Region, Ms Felicia Serwaa, a disability advocate has said.
She said stigma and discrimination had resulted in some PWDs remaining unregistered, making it difficult to determine the actual number of beneficiaries and allocate resources according to their needs.
Ms Serwaa, a member of the Ghana Chamber of Entrepreneurs with Disability in Goaso, made the observation in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Goaso.
She said although the Asunafo North Municipal Assembly might have records indicating a certain number of PWDs in the area, many others remained unregistered because their families kept them away from the public.
“If the government assumes that the number of people with disabilities in Asunafo North is 500, there may be 1,000 PWDs unaccounted for in their various houses,” she said.
Ms Serwaa explained that when unregistered PWDs emerged after hearing about the release of funds, the available resources would have to be shared among a larger number of beneficiaries.
“So, at the end of the day, the money will not be enough to start any business,” she said.
Ms Serwaa said accurate data would enable the government and the Assembly to determine the actual number of PWDs in the area and allocate resources based on their needs.
She said the Assembly had created avenues for PWDs to register, while officials and other stakeholders sometimes conducted outreach programmes in communities to identify persons with disabilities.
Ms Serwaa said the major challenge was that some parents and families deliberately refused to bring relatives with disabilities forward for registration because of stigma.
“Whenever the funds are released to the district, they will show up to collect the money,” she said.
Ms Serwaa appealed to families, opinion leaders, Unit Committee members and other community stakeholders to support efforts to establish an accurate database of PWDs in the area.
“This should be a collective responsibility and not only the work of the Assembly,” she said.
Ms Serwaa said community leaders and other stakeholders were already becoming involved in the data collection exercise.
She said steps were also being taken to ensure that the law dealt with persons who deliberately hid PWDs because of stigma or discrimination.
Ms Serwaa said the Common Fund allocated to PWDs was not solely for livelihood support but also catered for other critical needs, including emergency cases, education and support for parents and caregivers of some bedridden persons with disabilities.
She noted that although the fund was intended to address a broad range of needs, the amount available for livelihood empowerment was often too small to enable beneficiaries to establish sustainable businesses.
“Regardless of the Free Senior High School policy, some portion of the funds goes into education, and also some portion goes to support parents who take care of some PWD’ who are bedridden.
“The fund has a lot of allocations and so what comes into our hands under the livelihood empowerment programme is meagre to do anything meaningful with it,” she said.
Ms Serwaa said the Assembly had changed its approach to disbursing livelihood support, with cash payments largely replaced by equipment and other business inputs.
She said the decision was partly influenced by concerns that some beneficiaries did not use cash support for its intended purpose.
Under the current arrangement, the Assembly purchased items such as chest freezers, fufu machines and other equipment based on the type of business a beneficiary intended to establish.
“Now, they don’t give out cash as most of the PWDs don’t use the money for its intended purpose,” she said.
Ms Serwaa, however, noted that beneficiaries who received cash support were required to provide tangible justification for the assistance.
She said strengthening data collection, reducing stigma and ensuring that available resources were targeted at the actual population of PWDs would help make the Common Fund more meaningful to persons with disabilities in the area.
Ms Serwaa urged families to stop hiding PWDs and instead encourage them to register and participate fully in programmes designed to improve their livelihoods and independence.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Daniel Adu Darko
Email: [email protected]