Ghana: AEMA Supports PWDs With 14 Chest Freezers, Industrial Junker Machine

A total of 14 Chest Freezers and an Industrial Junker machine was yesterday distributed to 15 People with Disabilities (PWDs) at the Ayawaso East Municipal Assembly (AEMA) in Accra.

The items were aimed at supporting PWDs to venture into entrepreneurial skills in order to get them off the streets with the view of dealing with the menace of streetism.

In a brief presentation by the Director of Social Welfare and Community Development, Mrs Lydia Winifred Mensah-Bonsu, she said the six years of support to PWDs had been fruitful.

“PWDs who need help are many and today these people are the ones whose items are ready, government is making more arrangements for the others to also benefit,” she said.

Mrs Mensah-Bonsu highlighted that amongst many challenges, one of such was misplaced priorities by PWDs, thus not utilising the items given for the intended purposes.

“For some time now we have noticed some people come for support and don’t use the items for what they had earlier stated, some sell them while others leave it redundant, that has to stop,” she cautioned.

Mrs Mensah-Bonsu, therefore, urged beneficiaries to do their part by using the items given to them judiciously in order to be able to have their daily needs, and desist from the act of misusing it.

On his part, the Programme Officer of the National Council on PWDs, Mr Joshua Addy, expressed profound gratitude for the help to engage them into economic ventures to improve their lives.

He explained that before PWDs could benefit from the common fund, he or she must belong to a particular assembly, write to apply for the fund and be vetted before they would be qualified for the support.

“All PWDs are not automatically qualified for support, one has to go through the process, and when shortlisted, approved and vetted to know their needs then they can benefit,” he stated.

Mr Addy added that the disability fund management committee had a guideline to monitor and assess the needs of the PWDsand the help given to them to see their progress.

“Whatever one requested for must be evident and utilised accordingly. When the auditors come for inspection, receipts, pictures and progress of the items would be required,” he said.

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of AEMA, Hajia Salma Mohammed Sani Adam-Kuta, observed that things were difficult and encouraged beneficiaries to be proactive, and yield dividends for themselves.

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