By Jackson Msanzu
Several groups of persons with disabilities in Kilifi on Tuesday received grants from the National Council for People with Disabilities (NCPWD) to help them execute their projects for purposes of economic empowerment.
The groups, through the NCPWD Economic Empowerment Fund, received a cheque worth Shs. 80,000 each to sustain their projects but called for more support saying there are many groups left out.
The grants were issued during a meeting for Kilifi County Disability Network, a network that brings together stakeholders to take care of the interests of persons with disabilities within the County.
Speaking to the media, NCPWD County Director Mr. Mathias Tsuma said the grants exercise has started and they are working to issue more cheques according to the availability of funds as more groups get registered.
“We have handed grants to four groups: one from Magharini, two from Rabai, and one from Kaloleni. These grants will enable them to undertake the various projects that they had indicated in their application forms,” he said.
He further stated that due to the high demand for the grants, only a few of the groups that had applied could be chosen. This is due to a limited amount of funding for the program.
“We do not have enough funding to cater for everyone. These four groups were chosen from among many that had applied because funding is currently not possible for everyone,” he explained, as he expressed hope for other groups to benefit from the program in the new financial year.
Tsuma lauded the national government’s efforts to support people with disabilities in the country through its robust programs, including the economic empowerment fund and the program that trains government officials in basic sign language in order to better serve persons with disabilities in government offices.
Hussein Mweri, group leader of Kambe Solidarity Disability Group expressed his gratitude for receiving the grant after waiting for three years since they had applied. “We applied for this grant three years ago through the National Council for People with Disabilities. We are grateful to finally receive the cheque today,” he said.
However, he expressed his concern over the limited resources available to the PWD groups to meet their projects’ financial needs. He called upon the government to increase funding to empowerment programs to enable more disability groups to benefit.
“We are many, and the government is not able to reach everyone who needs this assistance. We are requesting an increase of funds so that more groups can benefit,” Mweri said.
“The government should also do a mass registration of people with disabilities in order to know how many we are to ensure better service delivery to our groups,” he added.
The NCPWD, through the fund, issues grants to the community for purposes of economic empowerment for persons living with disabilities.
The NCPWD economic empowerment program assists persons with disabilities to gain self-sufficiency in generating income for economic inclusivity.