By Joseph Titus Yekeryan
Following a report from a person with disabilities (PwD), fellows and NewDawn newspaper’s Bong County correspondent about the livelihoods of Persons living with Disabilities in Bong County, the National Commission on Disabilities has made several interventions in Gbarnga, the county capital.
On August 23, 2021, the Internews Inclusive Media Fellow lifted a story about two women who had been struggling to fend for their families amid the current state of the economy.
Patience Kollie is living with a disability (she does not walk) while Kebbeh Flomo is visually impaired.
Patience had been doing nothing to sustain herself. However, her only source of survival has been her mother who sells cassava leaves to fend for the family.
On the other hand, Kebbeh Flomo, the mother of six children has been digging sand to cater to the needs of her children and also once in a while gets little support from her husband who is a local contractor but lives far away from them.
When the story was lifted, the Chairperson of the National Commission on Disability contacted our correspondent immediately who then connected her with the two beneficiaries.
On Saturday, 19 September 2021, the Chairperson of the National Commission on Disability Mrs. Daintown Domah Pay-Bayee, and some top officials paid the two women a special visit to donate items on behalf of the Commission.
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Speaking during the presentation, Mrs. Pay-Bayee said it is the responsibility of the leadership of the Commission to ensure that every person living with a disability can live a better life.
She said while it is true that everything cannot be roses, there is a need for the Commission to look after members of the Commission who are struggling and can barely provide for themselves.
Mrs. Paye-Bayee said when they watched the ladies explaining their situation on the television, they immediately contacted the office of President George Weah who without delay, provided some money to the commission to further extend it to the ladies.
“When we told President Weah, he quickly gave us the money to buy these things so that you people can establish for yourself little table markets,” said Mrs. Paye – Bayee.
“Today, we brought for each of you, six containers of palm oil, two bags of caustic for soap production, vegetable oil, barrel to keep water, and several items for the waiter markets” she added.
Madam Pay-Bayee then pledged the Commission’s commitment to keeping making follow-ups with the beneficiaries at all times.
Receiving the items, Kebbeh Flomo and Patience Kollie lauded the National Commission on Disability, promising to focus on their businesses.
“I am very happy today, I firstly want to say thank you to the Journalist who made this possible for you to come. Had he not lifted this story, we people were not going to come here. I also want [to] say a big thank you to Madam Pay-Bayee for her kindness,” said Patience.
“For too long we [have] been here and no one can come from the Disable office to help us, but seeing that she has come here all the way from Monrovia just to see us smile is something I want to be grateful for,” Patience Kollie concluded.
For her part, Kebbeh saw the donations as a dream come through, stating that even though the Commission’s Boss earlier made a promise of coming to her, she didn’t believe it because, on too many occasions, many people have made promises to her and didn’t fulfill.
“I did not believe it at all. I thought it was some of the ‘false’ promises, but now I know that the journalist who interviewed [us] is truthful because he has brought the people and we have our own markets,” she said. https://thenewdawnliberia.com/physically-challenged-student-seeks-financial-help/–Edited by Winston W. Parley
