Beneficiaries of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty, LEAP in the Yilo Krobo Municipality in the Eastern Region are appealing to the government to increase their leap grant.
LEAP, is a social cash transfer programme that provides cash grant to the extremely poor households across the country. Its main aim is to alleviate short-term poverty and encourage long-term human capital development.
The implementation of the LEAP Programme represents government of Ghana’s vision of creating an all-inclusive society through the provision of sustainable mechanisms for the protection of persons living in situations of extreme poverty, vulnerability and exclusion.
Some beneficiaries of the program in Yilo Krobo municipal who spoke to Rite News aside decrying what they called a paltry grant being given them are also complaining against the two-month payment interval which they say is most inconvenient to them.
“I receive 64 (sixty-four) Ghana cedis every two months,” one distraught beneficiary complained bitterly to Rite news’ Omanba Boafo in an interview. “However, the two months’ interval is too much, it makes me credit food items ahead of payment.
The beneficiaries who pleaded with government to consider increasing the grant said their plea is necessitated by the increasing cost of livelihood.
According to them, an increment in the LEAP grant to Ghc 100 could go a long way in adequately supporting them.
One of the key objectives at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, to improve the socio-economic status of the vulnerable and the excluded through targeted interventions is through the implementation of the LEAP Programme in all the 216 districts in Ghana.
The government has increased the monthly stipend to beneficiaries of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme from September 2016.
One member household which received GH¢24 monthly stipend, now receives GH¢32 cedis. Two member households which received GH¢30, now receives GH¢38, while three member households which received GH¢36, now receives GH¢44. Four or more member households now take GH¢53.
Since its inception in 2008 by the then NPP Government, the LEAP Programme has expanded from 1,645 beneficiary households in 21 districts in 2008 to 213,044 beneficiary households in 216 districts.
The program is supported by the country’s development partners including the Department for International Development (DFID), United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the World Bank.
The National Health Insurance Authority is also registering all beneficiaries free of charge on the National Health Insurance Scheme.
Source: Joyce Bedeley/ritefmonline.org/jbedeley9357@gmail.com
