The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Bosome Freho District, Charles Appiah Kubi, says the assembly has utilised the PWDs fund to remove about 90 per cent of persons with disabilities (PWDs) from the streets in the Bosome Freho district of the Ashanti Region.

According to him, the situation where persons with disabilities were compelled to resort to street begging as a means of survival is gradually becoming a thing of the past.

Mr Appiah Kubi disclosed this when the Social Welfare Department of the Bosome Freho District Assembly distributed the third tranche of PWD start-up kits to 29 beneficiaries.

He said the Assembly remains committed to improving the living conditions of persons with disabilities and equipping them with the necessary resources to become economically independent.

“These start-up kits have really helped to eradicate street begging among PWDs in Bosome Freho. Previously, many of them were not engaged in any economic activity because of their conditions, leaving them with no option but to resort to street begging. But that situation is gradually changing,” he said.

The DCE urged beneficiaries of the third tranche not to sell the items provided to them but rather use them to establish businesses and improve their livelihoods.

The Director of the Social Welfare Department of the Bosome Freho District Assembly, Frank Konadu Asare, said the increase in the PWD Fund allocation had enabled the department to extend support to more persons with disabilities.

“Previously, the department could support only about 15 PWDs in a year, but the increased allocation had enabled it to support at least 30 beneficiaries on three consecutive occasions this year, with another round expected before the end of the year,” he explained.

According to him, the increased PWD Fund allocation had also enabled the department to mobilise resources to support some persons with disabilities to pursue education at the School for the Deaf in Jamasi.

The Secretary of the Federation of Persons with Disabilities in the Bosome Freho District, Nana Boadu, commended the Assembly for consistently prioritising the welfare of PWDs in the area.

He said the latest support included items such as refrigerators, deep freezers, spraying machines, wheelchairs and fufu-making machines, which beneficiaries could use to establish businesses and improve their livelihoods.

“Today, our members have received items such as refrigerators, deep freezers, spraying machines, wheelchairs and fufu-making machines. These items will enable them to engage in productive activities and improve their lives,” he said.

Nana Boadu commended the DCE and the Social Welfare Department for their support and expressed the hope that similar interventions would continue until street begging among persons with disabilities was completely eradicated in the district.