The Jaman South Municipal Assembly has disbursed support items to 71 Persons Living With Disabilities (PLWDs), including 41 females, at Drobo.

A total of ¢79,602 was spent on the beneficiaries in the areas of education, health, and business support.

While 39 people received support for medications, medical reviews, and surgeries, 14 were supported in tertiary, special, and basic schools.

Ten others received freezers (3), sewing machines (3), carpentry tools, hairdressing tools, and a block moulding machine, while eight beneficiaries had animal rearing (6), and other business support.

Municipal Chief Executive for Jaman South, Andrews Bediako, explained that the support disbursed to the beneficiaries on December 22, is the third batch for the year aimed to assist the physically challenged to work and be self-reliant.

For 2022, there have been 178 beneficiaries with a total of ¢200,007 spent.

He said, “If you look at, so far, what they have been doing with the items supplied to them, I think they have not disappointed the assembly and, for that matter, the government, and this will help reduce poverty”.

He particularly mentioned a beneficiary who was supported in the shoe and sandal manufacturing business and is doing marvellously well and therefore expects the current beneficiaries to make an impact with the support.

“It is not only about the impact we are looking at, but at least we don’t want to see them on the streets begging for support. If that happens, then they are not making good use of the assembly's support, but through our monitoring systems, they are doing well so far”, he stated.

He believes it will continue to urge the assembly to use the three per cent of their common fund to expand the scheme to benefit more PLWDS in the municipality.

The MCE, Andrews Bediako revealed that a collaborative program between the Government of Ghana and the World Bank, known as the “Safety Net Project” will complement other programs geared towards poverty eradication in 2023.

He explained that beneficiary communities would plant mangoes and coconut, where daily minimum wages would be paid to the targeted poor people who would work in the plantations and urged the PLWDs, who can, to get involved.

Isaac Baah, 36, a farmer at Adamsu, struggles to take care of himself, his wife, and three children after a car accident led to an amputated leg that has rendered him unable to walk on his own and work.

“I was working and living a normal life with my family until the accident, and life has been tough for me since then," he said.

He added, “And to change my situation, I applied to the assembly two years ago for support to enable me to go into animal rearing so I could take care of my family”.

Chairman for the Jaman South Physically Challenged Persons, Daniel Owusu, expressed worry about parents who feel shy about the conditions of their children such that they confine them in the house, making it difficult for support to reach them.

He said they would continue to engage such parents and involve the social welfare department in the situation and how to extend help to them.