Persons living with disabilities in the New Juaben North and South municipalities of the eastern region have called on the government to give them preference in the disbursement of its soft loan scheme aimed at supporting affected businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Secretary to the Ghana Federation of Persons Living with Disabilities and Ghana Federation of Physically-Challenged in New Juaben South, Felicity Amponsem Kyere who made the call on behalf of other PWDs said they were equally bearing the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic and Ghanaians must thus reach out to them.

President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on April 5, announced a soft loan scheme of up to GH¢1b for SMEs which would sustain the country's affected industries and address the disruption in economic activities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Miss Amponsem made the call when Nii and Friends, a philanthropic group headed by Neil Nii Karnaku through its ‘PPEs for PWDs Project’ presented various food items to persons living with disabilities at the assembly hall of the New Juaben Municipal Assembly on Friday, June 12, 2020.

She said PWDs, just like other Ghanaian business operators, had suffered immense financial shocks to their sources of livelihood, and the best way to alleviate their plight was accessing the stimulus package to revive their crumbling businesses, adding that government must roll out more disability-friendly policies.

About 125 PWDs including the visually impaired, deaf, and physically challenged took home loaves of bread, bags of rice, tin tomatoes, tissue paper, face masks, cooking oil, sanitizers, liquid soap, tins of sardine and washing powder, to support them amid the pandemic.

Presenting the items to the PWDs with the support of his family and friends, Neil Nii Karnaku noted that the main objective of the gesture was to support their needs by raising funds through any means possible.

He said the donations which were made possible with the assistance of various philanthropists were to ease the challenges being faced by the PWDs in the wake of the COVID-19.

Mr. Karnaku said, “We all know how we are struggling in this COVID season and if we that are going about are struggling, how much more persons with disabilities? It means that they really need our help”.

Neil Nii Karnaku who said one doesn’t need much to make a difference in someone’s life called on various stakeholders to also support PWDs with their resources especially when the whole world is in crisis.

With all restrictions yet to be lifted to pave way for full economic activities, it’s the hope of Nii and Friends to continue to support the vulnerable in society.

Gyaasehene of the New Juaben Traditional Area, Nana Twumasi Darkwa described the initiative as commendable and very important which motivated the traditional council to support it.

He regretted the sidelining of PWDs and urged the government to intervene as a way of easing the burdens currently being faced by the physically-challenged.

The New Juaben Traditional Council had already led a rigorous campaign against the disease and the Gyaasehene said the council was not resting on its oars but ready to contribute its quota to quell the outbreak.

Acting manager of the Eastern Regional Ghana Tourism Authority, Frederick Adjei-Rudolph while noting that the gesture should have come from other sources other than Nii and Friends nevertheless commended him for supporting the PWDs and called on the public to emulate their gesture.

Mr. Adjei-Rudolph acknowledged that many more people would have shown similar magnanimity if they had the means however said such acts of philanthropy were not really about the number of items but the spirit behind the gesture.

The acting manager urged members of the public to nurture the habit of giving at all times and not only during pandemics and also called on the general public to observe all safety protocols to avoid contracting the COVID-19.

Dr. Linda Quao who represented the Eastern Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Alberta Adjabeng Bretwum Nyarko called on the PWDs to adhere strictly to all COVID-19 safety protocols including the wearing of nose masks, use of sanitizers, proper and regular handwashing, respecting the social distance protocols, etc. to ensure that they stay safe.

She thanked the group for the gesture and encouraged the public to support PWDs in the country especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Linda Quao also applauded them for remembering PWDs in such difficult times and also appealed to the public to channel their support to the PWDs so that they can also have resilience in their daily activities.

About Nii and Friends:

'Nii and Friends' is made up of Neil Nii Karnaku and his family and friends whose main objective is to create awareness about people living with disabilities in Ghana and supporting their needs by raising funds through any means possible.

He established the group after working closely with persons with disabilities during a project for his station.

Over the course of a relatively short time, Neil Nii Karnaku has been meeting various heads of organizations to advocate for the PWDs who need the most support.

Eastern Regional President of the Ghana Journalists Association, Maxwell Kudekor was also present to grace the event.