By James Amoh Jnr. GNA
Tema, Dec. 24, GNA - The Tema West Municipal Assembly has disbursed funds and assorted items to Persons with Disability (PWDs) to assist them in their respective businesses and to improve their livelihood.
The items which included; brand new industrial sewing machines, refrigerator deep freezers, medical supplies, electronic appliances and laptops, were procured by the Assembly out of the three per cent allocation to PWDs from the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF).
After a thorough needs assessment by the Assembly's Social Welfare Department, the items were procured and distributed to enhance the wellbeing of PWDs, promote their business activities and improve their economic circumstances.
Some of the beneficiaries received cash to foot their medical bills whiles others received funds to reinvest and expand their existing business to make them commercially viable.
In the first phase of the disbursement, some GH¢68,000.00 was disbursed whiles 30 persons including; 14 females, 18 males and children, received funds and items amounting to GH¢62,000.00 in the second phase.
Mrs Adwoa Amoako, Municipal Chief Executive of TWMA, speaking at a brief ceremony to disburse the items and funds at the Assembly premises, said the initiative formed part of government’s efforts to assist PWDs by empowering them to be self-sufficient and to contribute to national development.
She emphasized that the Assembly would continue to introduce initiatives geared towards making them self-sustaining, calling on the beneficiaries to put the items to good use as a monitoring team had been instituted to monitor and ensure that full benefits were derived.
Madam Clara Sowah, Municipal Director of Social Protection and Community Development, indicated that as part of the International Day for Disabled Persons on December 3, the Assembly found it prudent to do the second phase of the disbursement.
She stated that it was important to further advance the right and well-being of persons with disabilities in the implementation of the 2020 Agenda for Sustainable Development which among other goals, aimed to promote the rights and well-being of PWDs in all spheres of society and development.
She told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that some of the beneficiaries were yet to receive their items, explaining that by close of first quarter in 2020, all disbursements would be made.
Mr Kwabena Brefo, a 26 year old visually impaired man who was presented with a brand new HP laptop, said he hoped to use it to improve his Information Technology skills since he had previously acquired some training in IT.
Visually impaired persons, he noted subtly, had limited career choices, insisting that he planned to advance his skills in computing and make a living out of IT.
GNA
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