PDAO urges PWDs to organize to avail of assistance

The Persons with Disabilities Affairs Office (PDAO) is urging persons with disabilities in the city’s barangays to organize themselves into associations to allow their groups to avail of technical and financial assistance from concerned government agencies for them to be able to sustain their livelihood programs and projects geared towards uplifting their living condition.

While it is true that there are also assistance that are being extended to individuals for their existing livelihood activities, PDAO head Samuel Aquino stated that the same is limited, thus, it is still best for the PWDs to organize themselves into groups to be able to avail of bigger technical and financial assistance which they could use to further improve their existing livelihood activities or start their own livelihood projects for the benefit of their families.

He disclosed that just this week, some 8 parents with children who are PWDs were able to avail of the limited assistance from the trade and industry department which they could use to further enhance their existing livelihood activities in their respective barangays.

On the other hand, Aquino claimed that there is one association of PWDs from East Modernsite barangay that was able to avail of financial assistance from the labor department for the improvement of their livelihood project to be able to cater to the growing needs of their families.

The PDEAO head stipulated that there are some concerned government agencies that are ready to provide the required technical and financial assistance to interested PWDs but they should be organized into associations or cooperatives to allow them to be able to avail of the maximum assistance that could be extended to them for the purpose of improving and expanding their existing livelihood endeavors.

According to him, the PDO is willing to extend the appropriate technical assistance for the PWDs in the different barangays to be able to organize themselves and seek government assistance in furtherance of their existing livelihood projects or for them to start their desired livelihood activity that will serve as their source of income to help uplift the living condition of their families. – Dexter A. See