The Volta Creative Arts Foundation, an organization of creatives has embarked on an initiative seeking to promote social inclusion for persons with disabilities, by helping them to be economically independent.
The initiative which was in partnership with the Mawuvi Basketball Fellowship saw the inmates of the Volta School of Deaf and Blind in Hohoe training in various skills.
The three-day program was tailored to provide the beneficiaries with skills that would help them earn money to sustain their lives in and out of school.
They were trained in beading, crocheting, and artwork and provided basic basketball skills to activate their interest in the sporting discipline.
The Founder and CEO of the Volta Creative Arts Foundation, Samuel Etornam Kwasi Lavoe, explained that the initiative aligns with the Foundation’s core objective of transferring their skill sets into society.
He asserted that one of the surest ways of “making the world a better place for all” is to help the less prevailed to be able to fend themselves by earning or making a livelihood.
“Our Foundation is made up of creatives from and outside the Volta Region who come together to impact what we have into society or the less privileged”, he said.
He appealed to the public to support the beneficiaries with materials to enable them to put into practice what they had learned during the outreach.
Mr. Lavoe said his outfit would extend the initiative to other schools for the deaf and blind aiming to impact their lives by empowering them with the necessary skills to survive.
The Beading class was facilitated by Prisca Amadi and Grace Kwadzovi, while the artwork training was spearheaded by Patrick Foli Quaye, Prosper Afetormashie (Park the Creator), and Godwin Awlime (Tokz).
Sherry Akugri, Ezta Mawutor, and Giselle Fombon were facilitators of the crocheting lessons.
Ezta Mawutor described the transferring of skills and knowledge to the deaf and dumb students as an amazing experience gauging the impact it would have on their lives.
“It has been amazing. Earlier we thought we would have challenges teaching them but they surprised us. They learned faster than we thought. So, for me, it has been impacting and I have learned a lot from them. We are glad to teach them so as they grow, they have skills to support their lives”, she said.
The Assistant Headmaster of the Volta School for the Deaf and Blind, Dickson Jones Atsu, expressed the management’s appreciation of the training indicating that it will help the students “to be at par with abled children.”
He described it as a great initiative as it would help provide an additional income stream for those who would practice it.
A student, Eunice Ansah, who benefited from the program was elated with what she had learned detailing how their condition has disadvantaged them in acquiring formal education due to the lack of training logistics.
“I love the program because some of the deaf cannot learn in school but can learn vocational skills, bead making, and bag making. So, we want the organizers to come again and help us the disabled so that in the future we can be perfect and be proud of them”, she said.
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