TUBMANBURG, Bomi – A group of disabled persons in Bomi have begun constructing a multipurpose building to raise funds and support their member base.

The building will contain guest rooms, a conference hall, and offices for disabled persons in the county. The Christian Association of the Blind plans to rent out the guest rooms and the conference hall to raise funds to support its members, who often have no stable source of income.

The project’s coordinator, Anthony Dangan, told The Bush Chicken that the group tried constructing the building two years ago, but fundraising was a major challenge. He said the funds generated from the completed building would help keep members of his organization from begging in the streets.

He put the project cost at US$15,000 and appealed for donations to complete the project.

“We really need financial assistance to complete this project,” Dangan said. “If this project is well completed, it will help us to take care of the petty things to keep us surviving.”

Dangan said members of his group do not receive the necessary support from county officials and the government.

He added, “You see, many of our friends die – sometimes it’s not their time. But the kind of hardship they are going through, they are not empowered. Some of them don’t even have the food to eat [each] day, and as a result, they end up begging.”

A member of the group, Varney Sherman, spoke to The Bush Chicken, expressing his anger for the alleged abandonment of disabled persons by the county. He called for the county to consider vulnerable persons in their plans.

“I am frustrated in our national leaders who see us as nothing – they really need to turn to us,” Sherman said. “We are Liberians too. We can contribute.”

Featured photo by Tarweh Surkula