TEERE and Ghana Federation of Disability organisations (Upper East Region) organises 2 day workshop to sensitise PWDs, DFMC, GFD Leaders, Assembly core staff on the disability fund guidelines and to develop monitoring tools to ensure accountability and transparency in the management of disability fund..

• November 23, 2017.
• Venue Bolgatanga

The 2 day workshop centred on the sensitization of various stakeholders involved with the management, disbursement and utilization of the Disability Fund. Again, this program is to allow stakeholders to develop application, monitoring and reporting templates. This would ensure transparency and accountability in the management of the fund.

The workshop begun with the Chairman, P.P. Apaabey Baba, in his acceptance speech, acknowledged the relevance of equity, transparency and accountability being the bedrock of human rights and freedoms for all citizenry including PWDs, Women and Children reiterating the need for institutional barriers to be absolved to remove the multiple vulnerability societal systems have placed on these groups.

In a welcome address, the Deputy CEO of TEERE, Avea Ataabasum Patience reiterated that the collaboration with GFD and relevant stakeholders in the community will ensure the effective monitoring of disbursement of Disability Fund for all beneficiaries.

On the part of Mr. Aniah Awine David; the current Regional President of GFD lauded the programme as being the first of its kind in the region where Stakeholders are drawn from very strategic institutions and traditional district areas to speak to matters concerning the development of PWDs in the region.

The Regional Coordinating Director who had a keynote speech delivered on his behalf by Mr. Akumbutum Andrew on the prospects of introducing a cheque system to ensure transparency and accountability in the disbursement of Disability Fund. He also touched on the status of DACF/Disability Fund, acknowledging that introduction of the Disability Fund has been an important achievement for fiscal decentralisation. He reiterated the purpose of Disability Fund as encouraging local governance, deepening commitment/fiscal decentralisation which promotes sustainable self-help development, bridging the gap in development deficiencies at the deprived Districts/communities’ level.

Presentation of Research findings on the Performance Review of Beneficiaries:
Mr. Elikem E. Ashiabi the Research Officer of TEERE presented the findings on the performance review conducted on the usage of the fund by beneficiaries.
Key findings:

• In some of the districts, the social welfare officers together with some staff of the Assemblies take decisions as to what to give PWDs on behalf of the DFMC without recourse to the policy guidelines.
• Some beneficiaries did not receive the approved amounts from the Assemblies as captured on Assemblies’ document such as Memos and Payment vouchers.
• Funds given to some beneficiaries are insufficient and cannot make any impact in the lives of PWDs and their families.
• Most of these beneficiaries except beneficiaries in Tertiary institutions still live in poverty after 12 years of this fund.

At the end of the findings, submissions and recommendations outlined were as follows:

• Disability fund accounts should be prepared and audited for proper appropriated disbursement.
• Fund managers must adhere to the dictates of the DACF guidelines
• Cheques/payment orders should be used as efficient means of disbursing monies to beneficiaries instead of cash

Sensitization on guidelines on the management/utilization of Disability fund:
The session of sensitization on the fund guidelines was one important part endorsed as a regulatory instrument to an effective and efficient means to manage the disability fund.
Mr. Aniah David (President - GFD) was saddled with the responsibility to take participants through DACF guidelines, which was adequately attended to. Participants were particularly enthused with the elaborate manner with which the snags hitherto experienced by DFMC were adequately resolved.

Application, Inputs and adoption template:
The President – GFD facilitated the process where the application form/format was deliberated upon by the house (participants) and portions of the draft application template was reviewed to meet the desired objectives and finally being adopted as the final and accepted template to be used for future applications for funding request by applicants/ beneficiaries.

Reporting and monitoring templates; inputs and adoption:
A draft reporting and monitoring template was presented by the M&E Manager of TEERE Mr Banu Maxwell. Participants deliberated and shared their views on the monitoring template. Their views were incorporated and the monitoring form adopted as final Reporting and monitoring template to be used for future reporting and monitoring of fund activities.

Press Conference on Communiqué:
TEERE, GFD and other participants together decided to organise a Press conference to sign and release the final communiqué and also purposely to advocate for immediate release of the Disability Fund in response to the pleas of PWDs in Upper East Region.
This project is implemented with funding from French Embassy in Ghana.