The Atiwa East District Chief Executive, Ernest Owusu Ntim, has announced special measures to support children with disabilities in the district, including payment of school fees, medical bills and provision of essential educational materials.
The DCE said the Assembly would closely monitor the education and welfare of children with disabilities to ensure they are not left vulnerable due to the economic challenges faced by their parents.
Speaking to Journalists when the Atiwa East District Assembly provided startup equipment, Deep freizera capital, store supplies and GH¢400 transportation allowances to an additional 60 persons with disabilities in the district.
According to Mr. Owusu Ntim, about 20 per cent of the beneficiaries who attended the programme were children accompanied by their parents.
He said the Assembly would work through its relevant committees to identify the children and provide targeted assistance to secure their education and future.
“What we noticed over here was that about 20% of the people that came were children, and they came with their parents. So we have also taken it upon ourselves to see how we will commit the committee and the board to see how we will take those children out of the adult, and we are going to monitor their education, their welfare, and other stuff. We intend to pay their fees, even some of the items that they may need” the DCE said.
He said the Assembly could also utilise its Internally Generated Funds to complement the government’s Disability Fund interventions where necessary.
“Because if the business, if you give their money to the parents, and they are not successful in the kind of venture or maybe the business that they want to, you know, undertake, the children will grow up being very, very vulnerable. So we are committed to see even if we have to use IGF even to support them in order to just complement what the President is also doing. We are going to do that, so that, you know, their welfare and their future will be secured”.
Mr. Owusu Ntim commended President John Dramani Mahama for increasing the Disability Fund allocation from three to five per cent and ensuring its timely disbursement.
Meanwhile, the Director of the Department of Social Welfare, Cynthia Celestine Klu, disclosed that out of more than 800 persons with disabilities in Atiwa East, about 650 had so far benefited from various forms of support.
She said the Department was also considering health-related support for persons with disabilities following observations that some beneficiaries had high blood pressure.
The initiative is expected to strengthen social protection for children with disabilities and improve their access to education and other basic needs.
Source: Starrfm .com.gh
