Disability is not a curse- Welfare Director

Ho, Dec. 5, GNA - Mr Atsu Havor, Ho Municipal Director of the Department of Social Welfare on Friday discounted the notion that disability was a curse of the afflicted by God.

"Your condition is not a curse from anywhere and is also no manifestation of sins committed by your forebears," he told a durbar of mainly disabled people in Ho on Saturday, to mark the International Day for the Disabled.

He said "society owed the disabled the duty of pursing and supporting policies that would make life less burdensome for them."

Mr Havor appealed to the disabled to have high regard of themselves, persevere in their chosen fields of endeavour to reach the top. The Day was organised by the Care and Concern Action Group (CCAG,) an NGO with sponsorship from 16 local and international organisations, including Barclays Bank, Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), Ghana Telecom and Chances Hotel.

Disabled groups involved in the celebration were the Volta Physically Challenged Independent Group (VOLPHIG), Ghana Association of the Blind (GAB) Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD) and Parents Association of Children with Intellectual Disability (PACID).

Mr Fried Lammerink, a VSO Volunteer, working as Management Consultant with the CCAG told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that there was the need for disabled groups to coordinate efforts in seeking redress to their grievances.

He regretted that some parents were still hiding their disabled children and called for more education to make people realise that all hope was not lost for the disabled.