By Albert Futukpor, GNA
Tamale, April 09, GNA – Government has begun the payment of Emergency Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty Programme (LEAP) to beneficiaries across the country to make up for the losses they suffered as a result of various natural disasters that struck their communities last year.
A total of 2,188 persons in various communities in the Northern, Brong Ahafo, Greater Accra, Western and Volta Regions have been registered to benefit from the Emergency LEAP by receiving GH¢100 each for three consecutive months, which has been lumped together for a one-time payment of GH¢300.
The Emergency LEAP has been designed to cater for people, who have been impoverished by natural disasters such as epidemics, rainstorms, floods, amongst others, and this is the first time the government will be paying the Emergency LEAP to beneficiaries.
Madam Otiko Afisah Djaba, Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, who witnessed a payment session at Jakarayili, a suburb of Tamale, to kick-start the payment of Emergency LEAP to beneficiaries on Friday, said the government was determined to reduce poverty in the country.
In the Northern Region, 1,142 people affected by various forms of natural disasters especially rainstorm and floods last year in the Tamale Metropolis, Sagnarigu and Nanumba North Municipalities, were registered to benefit from the programme.
Madam Afisah Djaba assured all registered beneficiaries that they would receive their money in due course emphasizing that the Emergency LEAP was different from the normal LEAP.
The normal LEAP Programme targets orphans and vulnerable children, persons with severe disability without productive capacity, the elderly 65 years and above without source of support and extremely poor pregnant women with infants under one year.
It currently covers all districts in the country with 213,044 beneficiary households, which translates to about 937,904 individuals, where a one-member household, two-member household, three-member household and four or more member household receive GH¢64, GH¢76, GH¢88 and GH¢106 cash transfers bi-monthly in that order.
Madam Afisah Djaba said the government was working to expand the normal LEAP to cover more beneficiaries, adding the 54th payment under the normal LEAP would be done in May, this year.
GNA
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