MONROVIA – AIFO-Liberia and Business Start-Up Center Monrovia, in partnership with the National Commission on Disabilities, the National Union of Organizations of the Disabled, the Liberia Labour Congress, and their partners, marked the culmination of grant disbursements to 33 business startups run by persons with disabilities on Wednesday, November 1st, 2023.
By Henry Karmo [email protected]
These startups are from various counties, including Bong, Nimba, Lofa, Bomi, and Montserrado. The event is part of the Business Idea Generation, which is a component of the Coordinated Action on Disability in Liberia Program (CAD-L), designed to provide persons with disabilities a unique opportunity to take control of their own careers, pursue their passions, and create an inclusive business environment.
The CAD-L Program is funded by the Embassy of Sweden in Monrovia. The event was held at the National Commission on Disabilities’ central office located in Oldest Congo Town in Monrovia.
The maximum grant amount given to each of the groups ranged from two to three thousand United States dollars, based on the business proposal. Businesses, both food and non-food commodities, benefited from the grants.
“The event is part of the Business Idea Generation, which is a component of the Coordinated Action on Disability in Liberia Program (CAD-L), intended to provide persons with disabilities a unique opportunity to take control of their own careers, pursue their passions, and create an inclusive business environment.”
Abigail Gonganue, from Nimba County, is one of the beneficiaries involved in soap making. According to her, she has a membership of 150, and she hopes to use the grant to expand her business.
In an interview, she said that the soap produced by her organization is given to people with disabilities to sell at a very low interest rate. As a single mother, she uses profits from the business to support her children.
Abigail said, “I want to thank the donors, and a big thanks to AIFO Liberia. They have shown us the importance of doing business. I encourage people in my condition not to resort to begging as their means of income.”
Like Abigail, Gabriel Togba-Gbe Twehsoh runs a small business in Nimba County that sells red oil wholesale. He expressed gratitude, as this is the first grant his business has received, and he hopes to expand his business.
His business has 25 members, and his goal is to sell to hospitals, large businesses, and households that use red oil on a larger scale.
In response to a question about why most of his peers don’t venture into business, he said, “Don’t blame people who believe that disability is inability because of the level of marginalization and stigmatization by society against people with disabilities.”
AIFO has been the implementing partner for the EU co-funded project titled ‘From Exclusion to Equality: Promoting Community-Based Rehabilitation in Liberia.’ This partnership brought AIFO to collaborate with the National Commission on Disabilities (NCD) for the Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) National Program, which was implemented in six Liberian counties: Margibi, Bong, Nimba, Grand Gedeh, Rivergee, and Maryland.
The CBR program is the most relevant and systematized approach that seeks to develop a national system of community-based rehabilitation by providing improved access to health, educational, livelihood, and social services for persons with disabilities in Liberia.