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Chief among these is the decision to combine the 65th and 66ths payment cycles as well as the provision of an additional monetary top up of GHC 10 per household for use by beneficiaries in the purchase of provisions such as soap, hand sanitizers among others.
In an interview with the Assistant Director of the LEAP Management Secretariat (LMS), Myles Ongoh, he said the decision to combine the 65th and 66th payment cycles was instituted to ensure beneficiaries have enough funds to see them through the lockdown period to enable them fend for themselves and their families.
“The corona pandemic and subsequent lockdown of some parts of the country has severely impacted all segments of the country, even more so the poor and vulnerable sections of the public many of whom are beneficiaries of the LEAP programme. The partial lockdown has already led to losses in income for daily wage and informal workers compounding their already dire situation. These are not ordinary times and we have to take certain measures to make sure our beneficiaries are protected and insulated from the shocks the country is currently experiencing,” he said.
Mr Ongoh added that as part of the protective measures instituted as a result of the Corona pandemic, beneficiaries will no longer queue at designated pay points to cash out their grants but will rather be assisted by District Social Welfare Officers to withdraw their grants directly from the banks.
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“As part of the cash grants, the LMS is providing beneficiaries households with additional top ups for use as transport fare to the nearest bank in their area. Beneficiaries living in rural areas receive a top up of GHC 20 while those in urban areas receive a top up of GHC7. We want beneficiaries to compile strictly with the President’s social distancing directives and as such we are no longer using paypoints where they have to queue for their grants like before,” he said.
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Another highlight of the series of measures taken is,LEAP beneficiaries are also being taken through education and sensitization on the preventive measures they can take to protect themselves and what to do in suspected cases.
“Education is key in these times and LEAP beneficiaries are being educated on what corona is, how it spreads and how they can protect themselves and their families from contracting the virus. We are constantly working with our stakeholders to devise various strategies aimed at easing the burden on our beneficiaries in these difficult times,” he noted.
Mr. Ongoh is optimistic that these measures will go a long way to help in curbing the spread of the virus whiles assisting the vulnerable to leap out of poverty. He concluded by calling for strict observance of state and health protocols to flatten the curve and eradication of the Covid-19 virus.