The Obuasi East Municipal Assembly has supported 62 Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) with income-generating equipment, trade inventory, educational and medical assistance to improve their livelihoods.
The intervention, implemented through the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development, formed part of efforts to promote economic independence and social inclusion among PWDs in the Municipality.
The items, presented at a ceremony at the premises of the Assembly, were distributed based on the individual needs, skills and business interests of the beneficiaries following a needs assessment conducted by the Department.
They included deep freezers, refrigerators, industrial sewing and knitting machines, hairdryers with washing basins, industrial ovens, an aluminum mitre saw, a portable welding machine, cocoa spraying machines, a fufu-pounding machine and water storage tanks.
Other items included bales of used clothing, charcoal, onions, crates of eggs, general provisions and food items such as maize, millet, beans, rice and cooking oil.
The educational and medical assistance included laptop computers, payment of school fees for beneficiaries in special schools, and financial support for surgical procedures.
Mr William Kofi Adzowu, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Obuasi East, said the intervention was funded through the five per cent allocation of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) designated for PWDs.
He reminded the beneficiaries that the intervention was not charity but an investment in their productive capacity to enable them to become self-reliant and contribute to the local economy.
Mr Adzowu, therefore, urged them to use and maintain the items properly to ensure that the support provided sustainable benefits for themselves and their families.
The MCE cautioned family members who received items on behalf of persons with severe disabilities against diverting the resources, stressing that the items were provided specifically to improve the well-being of the beneficiaries.
Mr Kwame Ankrah, Chairman of the Obuasi East branch of the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD), commended the Assembly for the support and called for an increase in the allocation for PWDs under the Common Fund.
He said the regular and transparent disbursement of the funds had contributed to improving the livelihoods of several PWDs in the Municipality.
“We are deeply grateful for the continuous support from the Assembly at the same time. We appeal to the Government to consider increasing the five per cent disability fund allocation of the Common Fund,” he said.