
The Community Aid for Rural Development (CARD Ghana), under its She Leads project, partnered with the Wa Methodist School for the Blind to celebrate this year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
This 2024 International Day of Persons with Disabilities was celebrated under the theme, “Amplifying the leadership of Persons with Disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future.”
The event, held on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, at the Wa Methodist School for the Blind, emphasized the empowerment and inclusion of persons with disabilities (PWDs), particularly girls and young women.
The Acting Executive Director of CARD Ghana, Ms. Ernestina Biney, provided an overview of the She Leads project, explaining its focus on supporting girls and women-led organizations with resources and capacity-building.
She emphasized the project’s aim to transform social norms that violate the rights of girls and young women through media advocacy and collaboration with stakeholders, including traditional and religious leaders.
“The project amplifies the voices of girls and young women, giving them civic recognition and transforming community accountability towards their issues,” she said.
She noted that the project has made significant strides in building the capacities of girls and young women to take leadership roles, particularly those dominated by males in Senior High Schools and universities, since its inception.
Rev. Monica Achana, Headmistress of the Wa Methodist School for the Blind, lauded the event as impactful. She said it provided her students with much-needed encouragement and validation. She noted that the day served as a reminder of the abilities and potential of persons with disabilities.
“Today, we are telling the world that disability does not mean inability. We have examples of visually impaired individuals excelling as doctors, lawyers, and politicians,” she said.
Quoting the motto, “Nothing about us without us,” Rev. Achana stressed the need for society to acknowledge and support the capabilities of persons with disabilities, advocating for more inclusive policies and initiatives.
She also called for education to highlight the potential of persons with disabilities, adding that such awareness could help reduce discrimination.

Mr Mulumba Songsore, Executive Director of Necessary Aid Alliance, inspired the students with stories of nationally and globally influential visually impaired individuals, including one of Ghana’s former Minister for Chieftaincy and Culture, Prof. Seidu Dannah.
He emphasized that inherent potential, rather than physical ability, drives success.
“Your vision lies in your determination and passion, not necessarily in your physical sight. You can achieve anything if you believe in yourself and work towards it,” Mr. Songsore told the students.
On his part, the Wa Municipal Coordinating Director, Mr Adams Moro, in a speech read on his behalf by Mr Osman Hilal, an Assistant Director I, called for the recognition of the inherent potentials and rights of PWDs by working actively to dismantle obstacles that hinder their full participation in all aspects of life.
Rev. Sister Sheila Ayagiba, Social Development Officer of the Wa Municipal Department of Social Welfare and Community Development, expressed the department’s commitment to promoting accessibility, delivering inclusive services, and advocating for equal opportunities for PWDs as enshrined in the Persons with Disability Act.
As part of the celebration, CARD Ghana donated sanitary supplies to the school, which would go to stock the pad bank commissioned by CARD Ghana last year, to support the students’ hygiene and well-being.
The She Leads project is being implemented in the Upper West Region by CARD Ghana in partnership with Plan International Ghana, aimed at increasing the sustained influence of girls and young women in leadership and decision-making both in the formal and informal sectors.
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