The Shai Osudoku District Assembly in the Greater Accra Region has distributed starter packs and other support items to 58 Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) to help them establish businesses and improve their livelihoods.
The beneficiaries received items including chest freezers, shop shirts for setting up stores, corn-popping machines, wheelchairs, laptops, medical support and cash.
Presenting the items on behalf of the District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Ignatius Godfred Dordoe, the District Coordinating Director, Ms Eunice Korankye, said the items were provided based on a needs assessment conducted among the beneficiaries.
She urged the beneficiaries to make effective use of the items to improve their living conditions, support their families and contribute to the socio-economic development of their communities.
Ms Korankye also appealed to parents of children with disabilities not to hide them at home but allow them to interact with other children in their communities and schools to enable them to feel accepted and valued.
The Presiding Member of the Assembly, Mr Nicholas Owen Korletey, said the presentation formed part of the second batch of beneficiaries for the year.
He cautioned beneficiaries against selling or renting out the items, saying a monitoring team had been constituted to ensure that the items were properly utilised and maintained.
Meanwhile, the District Director of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Mr Frank Opata, offered free NHIS registration and renewal for the PWDs and their families.
The District Social Welfare and Community Development Officer, Ms Theresa Kutu, commended the government for increasing the allocation to the fund from three to five per cent, saying the increase would accelerate support for PWDs.
FROM LAWRENCE VOMAFA-AKPALU, DODOWA
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