We do not want to benefit from LEAP – CP Parents

Some mothers of children with cerebral palsy are kicking against the government’s Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty (LEAP) programme (LEAP) and National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) policy announcement for children with cerebral palsy.

The mothers said they will prefer to access the disability common fund to enable them set up small and medium enterprises that provides them and their children with long term security.

Mrs Ellen Affam-Dadzie, Spokesperson for the group and Executive Director of the With God Cerebral Palsy Centre, said many of the mothers will prefer to have start-up capitals from the District Assembly Common Fund rather than putting them on LEAP.

“Putting children with cerebral palsy on the LEAP programme is not sustainable, the mothers want to go into entrepreneurship, we need start-ups to be able to do this, we do not want the LEAP,” she said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Tuesday.

Mrs Affam-Dadzie therefore urged government to revisit the decision of putting children with cerebral palsy on the LEAP programme.

“We are available for dialogue with the government, there are organizations such as the Special Mothers Project, an advocacy and awareness creation programme on cerebral palsy that can assist with appropriate policies suitable for families raising children with cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy is a neurological condition that affects movement and sometimes speech of children; it is the number one cause of disability in childhood.

In Ghana there are no concrete policies for children with cerebral palsy, many parents especially mothers are forced to abandon their career to take care of their children with cerebral palsy at home.

The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection announced last year that children with cerebral palsy were going to benefit from LEAP and free Health Insurance Registration.