Monrovia – People with disability from the Group of 77, now living on the beach-side of Gurley Street, are calling on Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor to come to their aid and relieve them from what they referred to as “unbearable conditions” they are facing.
Report by J.H. Webster Clayeh [email protected]
The Group of 77 has long been a home for people with disability in the country but during the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf-led government, the disabled people’s home (Group of 77) was taken from them to be used as a school building.
This made most of them to relocate to shanty homes built along the beach on Gurley Street and other deserted areas.
Touring the facilities that are now being occupied by these physically challenged people, FrontPageAfrica got to know that they are in dire need of toilet system, safe drinking water and is heavily polluted.
They told this newspaper that some of their friends have died as the result of sicknesses.
Ma Kebbeh: “I want to tell the Vice President that we have suffered for a very long time. Jewel, please don’t allow us to suffer this time around.
“We want to move from this place. Please find us a better place. We are dying from the cold and other sicknesses.”
According to the old mum, mother of 5, she and her family resided at the Group of 77 but was forced out of the building to make way for the establishment of the school— Group of 77 Public School.
The school was established mainly for children of physically-challenged parents and it was also meant to be free of charge.
Contrarily, most of these parents have complained that they along with other parents who are not physically challenged are paying fees for their children at the school.
This was something that triggered a protest by some persons with disability few weeks ago.
Also Oldma Kebbeh, whose husband died few years after they were evacuated from the building, added that she makes ends meet from what she gathers in the streets from begging passersby.
Another physically-challenged woman, Kebbeh Kolawor, called on the Vice President to urgently relocate them to a better place.
“Our friends are dying here from the cold. They took our building and turned it into a school; we are sleeping all on the beaches,” Kolawor said.
“I want for the government to at least find place for us because we are dying from the cold.
“The cold is killing us slowly. She must find a better place for us so we can move from on this beach here.”
Also, Harry M. Grutuah, another person with disability stated.
“We are living on the beach because the past government moved us from the Group of 77. We never had anywhere to go other than moving on this beach.”
He continued: “Our living condition is very bad many of our friends have died from cold here.”
“The new government, most especially Madam Taylor, who is responsible for us, we want to appeal to you to really help us.
Some of us are capable of doing things for ourselves but we are not financially able. We are tired begging on the sidewalks,” Grutuah added.