PHOTO: Patience Kollie and the donated items
By Joseph Titus Yekeryan
GBARNGA, Liberia- Following a report by one of the PwD fellows about some of the challenges faced by Persons living with Disabilities in Bong County, the National Commission on Disabilities has made several interventions in the central city of Gbarnga, Bong County.
On August 23, 2021, KMTV Bong County Correspondent and Internews Inclusive Media Fellow, Joseph Titus Yekeryan lifted a story about two women who have been struggling to fend for their themselves and their families, amid the current state of the country’s economy.
Patience Kollie is living with disability (she does not walk), while Kebbeh Flomo is visually impaired.
Patience had been doing nothing to sustain herself. However, her only source of survival has been her mother who sells cassava leaves to fend for the family.
On the other hand, Kebbeh Flomo the mother of six children has been digging sand to cater to the needs of her children and also once in a while gets little support from her husband who is a local contractor, but he lives far away from them.
When the story was lifted, the Chairperson of the National Commission on Disabilities contacted Fellow Yekeryan who immediately connected her with the two beneficiaries.
On Saturday September 19, 2021, the Chairperson of the National Commission on Disabilities, Ms. Daintown Domah Pay-Bayee and some top officials paid the two women a special visit to donate the items on behalf of the Commission.
Speaking during the presentation, Mrs. Pay-Bayee said it is the responsibility of the leadership of the Commission to ensure that every person living with disability can live a better life.
She said while it is true that everything cannot be roses, there is a need that the Commission looks after members of the Commission who are struggling and can barely provide for themselves.
View of the structure for the market
Mrs. PayeBaye said when they watched the ladies explaining their situation on the TV, they immediately contacted the office of President George Weah who, without delay, provided some money to the commission to further extend to the women.
“When we told President Weah, he quickly gave us the money to buy these things so that you people can establish for yourself little Table markets. Today, we brought for each of you, six containers of palm oil, two bags of caustic for soap production, vegetable oil, barrel to keep water and several items for the waiter markets,” she disclosed.
Ms. Pay-Bayee then pledged the Disabilities Commission’s commitment to keep making follow-ups with the beneficiaries at all times.
Receiving the items, Kebbeh Flomo and Patience Kollie lauded the National Commission on Disability, promising to focus on their businesses.
“I am very happy today; I firstly want to say thank you to the Journalist who made this possible for you to come. Had he not lifted this story, we people were not going to come here. I also want to say a big thank you to Madam Pay-Bayee for her kindness. For too long we been here any no one can come from the disabled office to help us but seeing that she has come here all the way from Monrovia just to see us smile is something I want to be grateful for,” Patience Kollie concluded.
For her part, Kebbeh described the donations as a dream come through, stating that even though they Commission’s Boss earlier made promise of coming to her, she didn’t believe it; because on too many occasions, many people have made promises to her but can’t fulfill.
“I did not believe it at all, I thought it was some of the ‘false’ promise but now I know that the Journalist who interviewed was truthful because he has brought the people and we have our own markets,” Kebbeh added in a happy mood.