Agona West gives financial support to 80 persons with disability

Ms Monica Siaw, Agona West Municipal Director of Department of Social Welfare, has reiterated the call on Persons With Disability (PWD) to stop begging on the streets because they could be arrested and prosecuted.

She said there is a ‘Beggars Law’ which prevents all persons, including those with disability, from going out there to beg.

In view of this, she said, the Government had provided funds to support them to go into income generating ventures.

Ms Siaw said this when 80 persons with disability in the Agona West Municipality were presented with GH¢200 each to support their businesses.

The money was sourced from the two per cent allocation of the District Assembly’s Common Fund meant for PWDs.

However, she said, her outfit had arranged with the Police and other relevant agencies to track down persons with disability who go out to beg on the streets of the Municipality.

Ms Siaw, therefore, asked the recipients to utilise the money judiciously, saying, a monitoring team would be checking how the money was being used.

She cautioned that anybody who mismanaged the funds would never benefit from the scheme again.

Mr Charles Obeng –Inkoom, National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Candidate for Agona West, said the Government would continue to give financial support to them if they gave a good account of themselves.

He advised the recipients not take advantage of their disability to indulge in acts that could harm them, saying, their disability could not be taken away but they had the ability to work to improve their lives.

Mr Kobena Ofori, a beneficiary, thanked the Government and Agona West Municipal Assembly for the assistance.

Source: GNA