By Evans Worlanyo Ameamu
Anloga (V/R), Sept. 24, GNA- Fifty –five persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the Anloga District of the Volta Region have received livelihood support and assistive devices aimed at helping them establish or strengthen income-generating ventures and improve their overall quality of life.
The beneficiaries, made up of 30 females and 25 males, were presented with items tailored to their individual needs, including industrial sewing machines, deep freezers, canoes, MTN Mobile Money merchant SIM cards and cash capital.
Mr Sylvester Deku, the District Director of Social Welfare, during the exercise at the Anloga District Assembly Hall, said other beneficiaries received assistive devices such as wheelchairs, hearing aids, elbow crutches and armpit crutches to support their mobility and daily living.
” The intervention is designed not merely as material assistance but as a deliberate strategy to help persons with disabilities become more economically independent and better positioned them to support themselves and their families,” he said.
Mr Deku indicated that the beneficiaries were identified through a comprehensive assessment conducted over a period ago, which allowed them to indicate the specific items needed to support their livelihoods.
He said moved had ensured that the assistance given was tailored to the individual circumstances of each beneficiary, rather than a blanket distribution of items.
“The initiative sought to equip beneficiaries with the means to establish or strengthen their own businesses and become active participants in the economic development of their communities.”
He said that the Anloga District remained committed to ensuring that no one is left behind and would continue to support and create opportunities for persons with disabilities to participate meaningfully in the development of the various communities.
Madam Sandra Seyram Kpedor, Anloga District Chief Executive (DCE) who also witnessed the programme further urged the beneficiaries to use the items for the intended purposes and avoid selling the items to others and stressed that the support was meant to provide a foundation for sustainable livelihoods.
She cautioned that the culprit found selling the donated items would be apprehended together with the buyer to face the full rigour of the law.
She commended President John Dramani Mahama for what she described as continued support for persons with disabilities across the country.
Some beneficiaries who spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said the timely intervention would give them hope and the opportunity to become more self-reliant, while the support would not only improve their personal circumstances but also enable them to meet household needs and contribute more actively to their communities.
The GNA also gathered that various District Assemblies in the region have been providing financial, educational, healthcare and livelihood support to PWDs through a dedicated three per cent allocation from the District Assemblies Common Fund, with District maintaining a consistent record of such interventions over the years.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Benjamin Mensah