The West Gonja District Assembly in the Savannah Region has presented small ruminants to 50 members of the Federation of People Living with Disabilities in the District as part of efforts to economically empower them.

A total of 200 small ruminants comprising 150 ewes and 50 rams were presented to the beneficiaries comprising 32 males and 18 females from selected communities including Larabanga, Damongo, Dapalakura, Broto, Murugu, Sor and Busunu.

Mr Saeed Muhazu Jibril, District Chief Executive for West Gonja, who presented the animals to the beneficiaries at Damongo, assured them of government’s commitment to improve their living standards to enable them to contribute to national development.

Mr Muhazu Jibril said last year, the Disability Fund Management Committee of the Assembly approved 51 persons living with disabilities (PWDs) in the area, who received various items including deep freezers, sewing machines, popcorn machines, poly tanks, beekeeping tools, shoe making tools, hair dryer machines and computer repair tools.

He said this year Committee recommended the procurement of small ruminants for the PWDs hence the presentation of the animals to them advising them to take good care of them to ensure good returns such that they would not be dependent on their relatives.

Mr Dramani Katribi, Presiding Member of the West Gonja District Assembly and Chairman of the Disability Fund Management Committee was convinced that the support offered the PWDs would increase their capability to generate personal incomes and also to improve financial sustainability.

Mr Katribi cautioned beneficiaries to desist from selling the ruminants immediately advising them to rather take good care of them to multiply.

Mr Dramani Takora Joshua, President of the Federation of PWDs in the district lauded government for the initiative expressing much satisfaction and pleasure at the manner the district assembly had handled PWDs.