Monrovia – The Founder and Executive Director of the Florence A. Tolbert and disabled advocates (FATDA), Sam Dean is calling on the public, individuals and philanthropic institutions for financial assistance in order to augment the efforts of his organization as it embarks on the distribution of 186 wheelchairs to persons with disabilities in Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru and Sinoe counties.
Report by Gerald C. Koinyeneh – [email protected]
Speaking to FrontPage Africa on Monday, January 8 at his office in Monrovia, Dean disclosed that FATDA needs US$12,000 to successfully embark on the distribution exercise, which is expected to commence next week.
He said the exercise would be done in collaboration with the Ministry of Health through the designated county Health Teams.
He noted that Mobility Worldwide, formerly Pet International through the Ministry of Health, donated the items to his organization.
“We are lacking funding. We need funding because we need to carry data collectors on the field, wheelchair technicians and rehabilitation engineers to be able to assemble these chairs because they came unassembled.”
“We will also determine whether we will set shops in the various counties for repair in the events that these chairs have problem,” Dean said.
“We have a budget that is about US$12,000. Whatever any corporation, individual and institution can afford to help us with, we will hardly appreciate it. We need to rent a vehicle, and we need to pay the technicians that will be travelling with us on the field,” the FATDA boss said.
He hailed the Ministry of Health for their cooperation and providing storage for the items worth over US$186,000.00 and lauded the County Health teams of designated counties for taking the initiative to transport the wheelchairs to their respective areas.
Mr. Dean himself is also person with disability, said since the inception of his organization in 2008; it has been creating awareness on the plights of persons with disabilities and created avenues for them to excel.
He further intimated that since its 10 years of existence, FATDA has distributed over 11,000 assistive devices including pairs of crutches, walkers, hearing aid and the most appropriate wheelchairs for less resource setting like Liberia worth about US$2 million to 13 of the 15 counties.
Institutions and organizations wishing to help the Florence A. Tolbert and the Disabled Advocates (FATDA) can do so by getting in touch with the organization through the following media: +231-777916865, +231 888142991, [email protected] and fatda.org