Mr. Effah Guakro, President of Nkoranza branch of the Society of the Physically Challenged has urged members to shun alms taking as the only source and means of livelihood as the practice invited public ridicule and contempt.
He advised members to learn trades and vocations to acquire employable skills that would make them self-sufficient and command respect from the public.
Addressing more than 250 members of the branch society at its get-together at the weekend at Nkoranza, Mr Guakro expressed regret about how some members begged for alms at market centres and by the streets.
Such practice has been a major problem for the society as it makes some people to look down upon them as liabilities in the community, he added.
The branch president deplored the attitude of some members who engaged in alcoholism, hard drugs and advised those concerned to desist from the practice to avoid trouble.
Mr. Guakro commended the government for raising the two per cent share of the common fund for disables to three per cent, saying the increase would ensure effective management of their rehabilitation.
He disclosed that the society in Nkoranza had already opened an account with the local Ghana Commercial Bank for the deposit of the money.
Mr. Guakro paid a special tribute to Mr. Eric Boateng, a worker at Nkoranza, for providing members with a bag of rice, four crates of soft drinks and cooking oil in support of the get-together.
Mr. Boateng called on members of the society not to feel dejected in life since “disability does not mean incapability”, but rather they should use their knowledge to initiate economic activities to enhance their living standards.
“The only useless person in the world is the dead and as you are alive, God our Creator, has something good for you and you must be proud of your lives”, he said.