Persons with Disability in Bosome Freho District receive support

Thirty persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the Bosome Freho District of the Ashanti Region have received livelihood support packages and cash assistance under the third disbursement of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF).

The initiative is part of the government’s social inclusion and poverty reduction efforts aimed at enabling persons with disabilities to establish sustainable livelihoods and become self-reliant.

The beneficiaries were selected from about 50 applicants following a screening exercise conducted by a committee in the Assembly to assess their needs and ensure fairness.

The Assembly, in collaboration with the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development, organised the distribution exercise.

Items presented to the beneficiaries included fridges, spraying machines, sewing machines, fufu pounding machines, hair dryers, barbering tools, plastic bowls and provisions, among other livelihood support items.

The intervention is in line with the national policy directive requiring Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to allocate three per cent of their share of the Common Fund to support persons with disabilities to establish and manage sustainable livelihoods.

Speaking at the ceremony held at the forecourt of the Assembly, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Bosome Freho, Mr Charles Appiah Kubi, said the support was intended to empower persons with disabilities to become economically independent.

He said the Assembly was committed to removing barriers that prevented persons with disabilities from establishing themselves within their communities and reducing their dependence on alms for survival.

Mr Appiah Kubi noted that although there were many persons living with disabilities in the district, only a few had registered with the Department of Social Welfare to benefit from the programme.

He therefore urged all persons with disabilities in the district who had not yet registered to do so to benefit from the quarterly disbursement of the DACF allocated for their empowerment.

The DCE further urged the beneficiaries to adopt a proper maintenance culture to ensure the durability of the items, stressing that the equipment was provided specifically for their economic empowerment.

The District Director of the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development, Mr Frank Asare Konadu, reminded the beneficiaries that the items were government property and should be protected and used for their intended purposes.

He encouraged them to make good use of the support to improve their livelihoods and living standards.

Some of the beneficiaries expressed appreciation to the government and the Assembly for the support and pledged to put the items to good use to achieve the purpose for which they were provided.