New Juaben South Assembly Supports 41 People with Disabilities with Tools and Cash

The New Juaben South Municipal Assembly in Ghana’s Eastern Region has provided working tools and financial support to 41 people with disabilities, aiming to help them build livelihoods and become more self-reliant.

Twenty-three beneficiaries received equipment to start businesses, including refrigerators, chest freezers, industrial and electric sewing machines and fufu-pounding machines. Another 18 people received a total of GH₵270,000 to cover medical treatment. The support followed assessments of beneficiaries’ needs and business plans and came through the five percent allocation for people with disabilities under the District Assemblies Common Fund.

At a ceremony in Koforidua, Municipal Chief Executive Ransford Owusu Boakye urged recipients to use the items and financial assistance productively and warned them against selling the equipment. He said the items reflected needs identified during a vetting exercise. He also called on families and communities to help beneficiaries establish sustainable livelihoods, saying the assembly’s support was only a starting point.

Josephine Dzokoto, the municipal director of Social Welfare and Community Development, said a team from the assembly would soon intensify monitoring of every beneficiary. Emmanuel Kofi Atiso, vice-chairman of the local Ghana Society of Physically Disabled and youth representative of the Ghana Federation of Persons with Disability, said some people with disabilities still beg on the streets despite government support and thanked the assembly for its assistance. Beneficiary Khajara Haruna said the equipment would help improve their lives.

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We are grateful to the assembly for providing us with such items, and they will help improve our lives.