In Ghana, traditional leaders have a lot of influence over their subjects. They are crucial change agents, especially in small communities. Our Partner, Voice-Ghana, a Ho based disability interest NGO, targeted them (chiefs) in its project dubbed “Stronger Voice" under the Gender Quality and Social Inclusion Call.
The 12-months long project, linked up Self-Help groups of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) with their local government authorities in development planning. Beneficiary local government areas are Akatsi-North, Nkwanta-North and Central-Tongu districts, as well as Nkwanta-South and Krachi-East municipalities.Traditional leaders were actively involved in the mutual selection of projects, such as water systems, school blocks, libraries, mother and child welfare infrastructure, among others.
The project has built-in innovations and linkages that raised the collective and individual image of PWDs. Conversations with some chiefs and vivid accounts of PWD-Traditional Authority interactions, triggered by the “Stronger Voice” project, gives indications of great progress in securing the rights and interests of PWDs.
Nana Kwaku Dente, a chief of Pai-Katanga, in the Krachi-East district has shown immense interest in the activities of Persons with Disabilities. Nana Dente, has had rounds of interaction with Voice-Ghana officials, which completely cleared his mind of negative dispositions, foisted on him by tradition, against PWDs. According to Nana Dente “I meet here with the PWDs, and the atmosphere, is always cordial. Our discussions lately, have been on a project for the community, coming through the PWDs here, under the ‘Stronger Voice Project’".
“ We involved the Municipal Assembly was involved. A library project was selected. That is fine. Might not be the end of such opportunities. Nana Dente and the leaders of the PWDs, also mentioned the need for teachers with special education skills to be posted to the schools in the communities.
Togbe Korsinyi Agyeman IV, Chief of Adidome, in the Central Tongu District, is a stalwart on the issue of PWD rights and interests, having been influenced heavily by Voice-Ghana’s ‘Stronger-Voice’ project. He is vociferous about those rights, and would talk endlessly about PWDs, being his subjects, and with the same rights as those without diabilities. one of the PWD representative noted that the “chief's voice is strong and growing stronger in support of their interests”. Togbe Agyeman is passionate about the kindergarten picked for the district under the “Stronger Voice” Project. He readily gave land for it and keeps demanding appraisal on how it is proceeding. For him a state-of-the-art kindergarten with all the disability friendly wares is apt for now, just as the PWDs want it.
At Ave-Dakpa, three royals, Togbe Yaoga Sodoke, Lawson Ziddah and Togbe Adranyi, represent the backbone of the PWD community. They speak for them, boost their lobbying at the local government outfits and elsewhere, stand-up to their denigrators, even as traditionalists. There is the certainty that stigmatization, name calling, discrimination of and against PWDs are receding, slowly but surely. The sweetest realization is that traditional authorities are in the bandwagon to get PWDs into their rightful places in society.
It is obvious, no doubt, the Stronger Voice project, has contributed to empowering PWDs to become more self-assured in the activities of their local communities.
From the local communities to their various Assemblies, PWDs are now indispensable publics. From Ave-Dakpa and Ave-Afiadenyigba in the Akatsi-North District to Adidome in the Central-Tongu District, through Chaiso, in the Nkwanta-South Municipal Assembly, then to Pai-Katanga in the Krachi-East Municipal Assembly, Abunyanya in the Nkwanta-North, and many other places, cordiality between traditional authorities and PWDs was evident.
Cheerful PWDs, would enthusiastically walk you to traditional authorities, and they traditional authorities, would received them and their guests wholeheartedly.