The Nanumba North Municipal Assembly in the Northern Region has supported people living with disabilities with income-generating activities and some cash.

The support is to improve the livelihoods of such persons and prevent them from resorting to begging for arms on the streets.

It is common to see on our roads many disabled people begging for arms to earn a living.

In Nanumba North municipality in the Northern Region, a total of 1,257 persons are registered as people with disabilities.


This comprises the physically disabled, the blind, the deaf, epileptics and mental health patients.

On Wednesday, April 5, the municipal assembly through its social welfare supported 390 persons living with disability made up of 184 males and 206 females.

The support includes income-generating activities, education, health care and assistive devices such as tricycles, white canes and hearing aids.

Out of the 390,201 made up of 86 males and 115 females were supported with income-generating activities in terms of deep freezers, containers, animals, and assorted items for provision shops.

One hundred and twenty-nine made up of 66 males and 63 females were supported to undergo various forms of treatments including surgery, while 31 males and 29 females received educational support.

At a short ceremony at the Nanumba North municipal assembly to present the support to the Municipal Director of social welfare, Stephen Mensah encouraged beneficiaries to put to good use the support given them.

He bemoaned the refusal by some disabled persons who after receiving the support do not put it to the purpose for which they applied.

“Disability is not a curse so let’s desist from shunning or maltreating people with disabilities. Some will go around begging, singing or doing other things just to earn a living. The government has instituted the Disability Fund to support persons with disabilities to empower them so that they don’t go on the streets begging. I want to entreat you to use whatever is given you to good use and not go out on streets begging,”

The Municipal Chief Executive for Nanumba North, Abdulai Yaqoub reiterated that the support is aimed at reducing poverty amongst people with disabilities and to stop them from begging for arms.

“We are not giving you the money to just go and spend. Before you are given the money, a form is filled out, and you are made to request to the committee that this is what you want to do. The committee evaluates your request and approved an amount for you. Some say they want to go into farming, some say they want to do business. There is always a monitoring committee that goes around to see whether the money we have given to you has been put to what you requested to do. Some are doing well, and I want to urge you to put it to proper use because if you waste it, you will not get the opportunity again because there are still others who have not benefited,” he advised.

Some beneficiaries who spoke to Citi News were full of praises for the assembly saying the support has come at the right time.

“I think this support has come at the right time, and it is going to help me greatly. I will invest it into the little business that I am doing so that I can earn something for myself and my family. I thank the assembly so much for the support,” one of the beneficiaries said.

Another also stated, “To me this great, I want to pray for the assembly for what they’ve done for us. It is something that is going to help us and I want to call on colleague disabled not to misuse the support. Some are on the streets begging and if you get this opportunity, especially when times are hard, you make good use of it”.

Source: citifmonline.