The Managing Partner of Rainbow Consult (an SME support organization), Margaret Jackson, has urged the members of the disability community never to stop learning.

“Learning never ends,” she admonished.

The Master Trainer and Instructional Designer told five (5) disability organisations on Tuesday that “the moment you stop learning, you stop growing”.

She thus urged their members “to always be opened to learning and hearing from others with different realities and perspectives.”

Madam Margaret Jackson was speaking at the launch of Legacy and Sustainability Grants for Mental Health and Disability Inclusion under the auspices of Ghana Somubi Dwumadie (Ghana Participation Programme).

This is a four-year disability programme in Ghana with a specific focus on mental health.

Funded by the UK Government and run by an Options’ led consortium, the Programme focuses on promoting respect for the rights of people with disabilities, including mental health disabilities; scaling up high-quality and accessible mental health services; reducing stigma and discrimination against people with disabilities; and, generating evidence to inform policy and practice on the effectiveness of disability and mental health programmes and interventions.

The one million Ghana cedis (GH¢1 million) Legacy and Sustainability grants spread across twelve (12) months, thus aim at strengthening the institutional and technical capacity of small and grassroots women’s rights organisations and disabled people’s organisations to enable them play greater roles in user-led approaches to claiming the rights of women with disabilities. It will also help improve the well-being of, and empower people, especially women with disabilities through interventions implemented by small and grassroots organisations.

Five (5) organisations are proud recipients of the grants.

They are the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD) as a capacity-building partner, Duapa Mothers Union (DMU), Ghana Blind Union (GBU), Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD) and Women with Disability Development & Advocacy Organisation (WDDAO). These awardees are expected to harness the unique contribution and strengths of small and grassroots organisations for sustainable change in the lives of people with disabilities, including persons with mental health conditions. This is with emphasis on women with disabilities or mental health conditions.