As I Grow (AIG) a nonprofit organization
working for the improvement and development of livelihoods of the people in deprived and rural communities has donated wheelchairs to persons with with mobility impairments in the Akuapem North Municipality and Okere District in Eastern region.
The beneficiaries were located in Larteh -Akuapem, Kotokoli near Okrakwadwo, Amanfrom, and Behinase communities.
The intervention supported by Henry Djaba Foundation is part of the health support services for the less privileged in these communities aimed at ultimately facilitating mobility of the physically challenged beneficiaries.
Speaking to the media, the Chief Executive Officer of Mr. Debrah Bekoe Isaac bemoaned how individuals with various physical impairments are always relegated,discriminated and ignored in rural communities.
He said some families and communities even consider such individuals to be evil and even carriers of bad omen.
Mr. Debrah Bekoe Isaac said some parents who have had children with various disabilities sometimes develop hatred for these children and even starve them in order to get rid of them.
“So our motive for distributing the wheelchairs to these people is to help them and also lessen the burden on their parents and the individuals themselves. some parents who are having these children could not even afford the medical bills,feeding,dressings and other personal items to aid them hence providing the wheelchairs chairs to aid them” .
He believes these wheelchairs will go a long way to support the movement of these impaired people since most of them did not have the means for movements.
The beneficiaries and parents were commended the NGO for the intervention stating that, persons with disability in rural areas are suffering from poverty, stigma, lack of medical support, and unavailability of disability friendly facilities preventing them from accessing education and other social amenities.
Mr. Jeffrey Minta, a class five teacher at Larteh Salvation Army Basic School narrated how school environments is disability unfriendly and lack of access to assistive devices nearly truncated his education.
He said suffering from disability in Ghana is a double whammy due to unfavourable economic and environmental factors
“schools,hospitals and public places do not consider building structures which are user friendly to them,hence always struggling to be at such places”
He admonished teachers to avoid ridiculing and looking down on children with various disabilities since it dampens their spirit and emotions.
Mr. Minta Jeffrey advised parents not to hide and deny their wards with any physical impairments education since it is the only key to unlock their potential and economic opportunities.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Obed Ansah
