The Ho West District Assembly has equipped 64 persons living with various forms of disabilities with tools and financial support to enable them to become self-reliant.
The beneficiaries received items including freezers, ‘fufu’ pounding machines, cassava grinding machines, industrial sewing machines and wheelchairs.
Others were given financial assistance to support their education or to start small businesses.
At a presentation ceremony on Friday, the Volta Regional Director of Social Welfare, Mrs Stella Agbezuhlor Mawutor, commended the Ho West District Assembly for effectively utilising the disability component of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF).
She explained that the government support for persons with disabilities through the assemblies was aimed at empowering them to achieve economic independence.
She, therefore, urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the items to improve their living conditions.
Mrs Mawutor advised them to value the support received as the beginning of a new phase in their lives, stressing that they should not see themselves as objects of pity.
With the assistance provided, she noted that they were expected to reduce dependency on others and refrain from begging.
She also expressed concern about the reluctance of some parents to register children with disabilities at the assemblies.
She said such registration was important as it would enable the government to determine their numbers and plan effectively for their welfare.
The Ho West District Chief Executive, Mr Francis Profer Duse, appealed to the beneficiaries to cultivate a strong maintenance culture and ensure the effective use of the items and funds to enhance their livelihoods.
He explained that the items were procured from the three per cent allocation of the DACF dedicated to persons with disabilities, adding that the government remained committed to improving their living conditions across the country.
The Ho West District Director of Social Welfare, Mr Prince Semabia, said a monitoring system had been put in place to ensure that the beneficiaries used the support effectively.
He added that the Social Welfare Department in the district continued to educate parents on the importance of registering children with disabilities, expressing hope that those who had not yet done so would take advantage of the opportunity to be recognised and supported by the assembly.
FROM SAMUEL AGBEWODE, DZOLOKPUITA
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