Ms Dorcas Margaret Madjiety(right) presents wheelchair to one beneficiary
Dorcas Margaret Foundation (DMF), a disability based foundation, has provided wheelchair support to persons with disability to help ease their movement and get them through their social barriers.
This follows a membership request put forward by the Foundation to Ghana Federation of Disability Organisation (GFD).
According to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Foundation, Dorcas Margaret Madjitey, a victim of spina bifida and hydrocephalus, GFD allocated 10 wheelchairs to her organisation as membership gesture and to support her Foundation.
Spina bifida is the inability of the spinal cord to form properly in the womb, which affects mobility and also leads to infections of the kidney and bladder. Hydrocephalus is the accumulation of fluid in the head which affects the formation of the brain
“…So I got a slot by Ghana Federation of Disability Organisation because, thankfully, my Foundation (Dorcas Margaret Foundation) had been accepted to be a member of the Federation. They told me to come for wheelchairs for people who may need it under my Foundation,” she said
To this end, she decided on a broader inquiry, via social media, on other people who might need wheelchairs, not to just limit it to her Foundation.
“GFD allocated 10 wheelchairs to DMF. I thought of using social media because we are in a digital world, and the best way one can interact with people is through that channel…So I posted it, especially on Facebook and WhatsApp. Thankfully, I had immediate and overwhelming responses from people,” she disclosed.
Beneficiaries
Ms Margaret Madjitey indicated that the first beneficiary was one Madam Alphacus Agyei Addai, from Kumasi, who reached out to her via WhatsApp, and expressed a need for a wheelchair for a child she is taking care of.
She added that the next donation of two wheelchairs were given to two disability advocates in Accra, who equally needed it for people who had expressed need of wheelchairs to facilitate their movements.
“They reached out to me if I could assist. I opted wholeheartedly to give it to them since we are all promoting the interests and the well being of the Persons with Disabilities (PWDs),” she said.
She further added that an unknown person on Facebook tagged her under a post of someone who was in dire need of a wheelchair for someone.
“I contacted the person, and they were in Volta, Dzodze to be precise. Initially, it seemed quite of a challenge, but it is said that if there is a will, there is a way… So, I found a way to deliver it to them in Volta Region, and they acknowledged receipt of it. On the whole, we have distributed five wheelchairs to support persons living with disability. Another five will be distributed soon,” she disclosed.
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