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Stop begging for alms… disabled cobbler admonishes PWDs
Mr Joseph Odey Mensah, a physically challenged cobbler, has asked persons with disability to stop begging for alms on the streets as the development is damaging to dignity
The owner of the Hope for Disabled Leather Works, located at Teshie in Accra, told The Spectator in an interview that everyone was created with capabilities and begging on the streets was a lazy and undignified way of making a living.
He said, “There is always dignity in labouring to cater for one’s self rather than stooping so low to beg on the streets.”
“I never wanted to become a burden to my family and society at large so I decided to train and become an entrepreneur instead of begging on the streets like many of my fellow disabled persons do.
“I believe in being self-reliant and need to set examples to other disabled persons to work hard and earn a decent living instead of relying on other people for survival,” he stated.
Paralysed in both legs at the age of three, the now 59-year-old man said, he established the company 37 years ago after dropping out of school, and decided to train at the Accra Rehabilitation Centre in 1982.
Singlehandedly, Mr. Joseph Odey Mensah popularly called Joe Mens made birkenstock sandals, students’ sandals and casual leather slippers for men and women.
“I am inspired to change the narrative where disabled persons are associated with begging, to become an entrepreneur and make a huge mark in Ghana’s local shoemaking industry,” he stated.
The father of five further said that, he took good care of his family through his shoemaking business and was working hard to expand the trade across the national capital Accra, and beyond.
“I make five sandals daily and I am able to make a decent amount each day to take care of my children’s education, the family’s upkeep as well as other disabled persons who I assist occasionally,” he stressed.
The country, he said, required everyone to contribute their quota to national development and thatsetting up his business was part of his contribution to the development of the private sector which was the engine of growth.
However, he said, the business was not without challenges as he needed adequate financial and logistical support to expand and employ other persons to earn decent living.
“I have over 80 persons under the ‘Hope for Disabled Persons Foundation’ and I intend to employ them to avoid endangering their lives on the streets,” he said, and called on government to make available the three percent allocated to disabled persons in the District Assembly Common Fund to help start-ups like him grow his companyto employ more persons.
“The allocation is a laudable idea but in reality, we do not receive the funds. I am trying to get government’s auction cars through the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to help distribute the slippers across the country”.
“With the right support, I can get more raw materials to produce in large quantities and distribute across the country instead of relying solely on my small showroom which is outside the capital,” he lamented.
He called on the public to desist from denying disabled persons jobs and consider them assets to society rather than liability.
“Parents must also not abandon their disabled children but support them to reach their full potentials,” he stressed.
By Michael Abayateye
Mr. Alfred Nii Kotey Ashie, the Member of Parliament for the Odododiodioo Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, has assured the Accra Street Academy of his support in achieving its mission of uplifting vulnerable children within the community to break the cycle of poverty. “Without the needed support, your efforts may go round in circles due to the enormity of the task. This should not be left on the shoulders of the Academy alone. You need support from both government and the private sector. With that, the Academy would be in a good position to shape the future of these children on the streets,” he said.
The Accra Street Academy, originally formed in 1985 as a boxing arena, now serves as a school for deprived children, with most of its population numbering hundreds of pupils being neglected children from the streets of Jamestown and its environs. Mr. Alfred Nii Kotey Ashie made these remarks at the annual stakeholders’ meeting and fundraising event held over the weekend under the theme “Empowering Street Children: Health and Wellness.” The event is one of the Academy’s annual programmes, organized to raise funds and other forms of support to aid the school in catering to the needs of the children and holding its Christmas get-together.
According to the MP, it is worth noting that these children are taught and provided with two meals and a snack daily through the support of benevolent members of society. In view of this, he promised to facilitate the acquisition of documents needed for the construction of an Astroturf within the school’s premises. He noted that “every child has the right to play, and therefore I pledged to do my best to secure the needed documents” for the project to commence.
The legislator disclosed that over the years, the academic programmes of the Accra Street Academy have transformed children surviving on the streets into successful adults. He therefore urged other members of society to partner with the school to “help pupils rise higher for a better Ghana.” In the 2025/26 academic year, 22 pupils were absorbed by the Accra Metro Education Directorate as they transitioned into various Junior High Schools, while still returning to the Accra Street Academy for academic support.
Ms. Yvonne Abba-Opoku, a chartered governance advisor and senior executive in the nonprofit and charity sector, stated that the best gift to give a child was education.
By Spectator Reporter
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Mrs Regina Kudom, Senior Midwifery Officer at the New Atuabo Health Centre in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality, has urged expectant mothers to attend antenatal clinic regularly for safe delivery.
She revealed that “in Tarkwa and its environs many pregnant women prefer staying at prayer camps, we are not against that, you can be there, but when your time is up for your antenatal session make sure you attend.”
Mrs Kudom gave the advice when the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation (GFGF) observed the World Prematurity Day with pregnant women at New Atuabo, Huniso and Awudua health centres.
World Prematurity Day falls on November 17, every year, and it is celebrated to raise awareness about the challenges faced by pre-term babies and their families.
She said research suggested that sex during pregnancy could soften the cervix and potentially aid in labour preparation.
“That is the reason why we encourage pregnant women to have sex with their partners, if they do not have any health implications,” she added.
Mrs Kudom appealed to the GFGF to upgrade the New Atuabo health centre as the current structure was too small because they received many patients daily.
Madam Ayishetu Mohammed, Project Coordinator for GFGF, explained that they received donations from Project C. U. R. E and the items were given to health facilities in their operational area.
She stated that they noticed there were baby dresses, sanitary pads, and baby apparel, so they decided to distribute them among expectant mothers in three of their host communities.
Madam Mohammed said because the foundation was interested in preventive care, they brought a midwife from the Tarkwa Mine hospital to educate the pregnant women.
She extolled the midwives in New Atuabo health centre for the education they gave to the pregnant women and implored them to heed to the advice given during antenatal visits to reduce maternal deaths in the Tarkwa Nsuaem and Prestea Huni-Valley Municipalities.
Mr Paa Kwasi Egan, Deputy Chief Physician Assistance, emphasised that a pregnant woman being anemic meant she was not eating a balance diet, and added that, “Some of these women do not have money to buy food or visit antenatal clinics.”
He said when men follow their wives for antenatal visits, they would be educated extensively on why they should provide funds for their pregnant wives.
Mr Egan, therefore, encouraged all men to be involved in their pregnant wives’ antenatal care appointments so they could learn more about pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting. – GNA
