|
LEAP programme only meant as a springboard to
self-sufficiency
Sunyani (B/A), Feb. 21, Ghanadot/GNA –
The Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP)
intervention is meant to empower a targeted population and
not to provide for their basic needs, Mr Stephen Adongo,
Director of Child Rights, Department of Social Welfare, said
in Sunyani on Friday.
He reiterated that the government-introduced intervention
would serve as a ‘spring board’ to help the target
population to ‘leap’ out of the malaise of extreme poverty
and not to make the poor dependent on government as
projected by a section of the media.
Illustrating the programme, the Director said extremely poor
households would be provided with “fish and taught how to
fish” by linking them to other complementary programmes.
Speaking at a workshop on the LEAP programme and the
National Social Protection Strategy, organised by the
Ministry of Manpower, Youth and Employment, Mr Adongo
stressed that under the intervention, 20 per cent of 880,000
extremely poor persons would be targeted.
He stated that under the programme, a monthly stipend of GH¢8.00
to a maximum of GH¢15.00 would be paid per household but
that would depend on the number of people who would qualify.
The Director, however, stated that due to the incapability
of the sector Ministry and the Department’s shortfall in
logistics, payments would be made every two months,
beginning January, this year.
Mr Adongo said beneficiaries would be expected to converge
at a designated pay point chosen by the Ghana Posts and
identity cards would be issued to them before any payment
would be made.
Already, 21 pre-pilot districts have been selected and 10
regional social welfare and 21 district welfare officers are
also being trained for the programme, he added.
In an address read for him, Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah,
Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, said it was the philosophy of
the NPP government to maximize the nation’s human resource
potentials.
“In this respect government has developed a mission to
support the vulnerable, marginalized and the excluded to
become active partners in development”, he stated.
The Regional Minister added that “the vision of creating an
all inclusive and socially empowered society is on course
through the provision of sustainable interventions such as
the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Capitation
Grant, School Feeding Programme, Agricultural Input Support
and Micro-Financial Schemes for the protection of persons
living in situations of extreme poverty and deprivation”.
Speaking on Financing Social Protection in Ghana, Mrs Angela
Asante Asare, Programme Coordinator, National Social
Protection Strategy, Ministry of Manpower, Youth and
Employment, said the government was expected to dole out
over 11 billion dollars to support the Social Protection
Strategy programme.
Mrs Asare said the programme would be cost effective,
sustainable and efficient.
Presenting a paper on the ‘Concept and Practice of Social
Protection’, Mr Daniel Doh, Senior Research Officer, Centre
for Social Policy Studies, Legon, observed that it was the
primary obligation of the state to provide protection for
the poor and the weak in society as a matter of ethics.
He explained that the purpose of the introduction of the
National Social Protection Strategy was to reduce
multi-dimensional deprivation as a result of the failure of
several government interventions like the Structural
Adjustment Programme, PAMSCAD and other Breton-Woods and UN
prescriptions.
Mr Doh said Britain and the US were still practicing similar
programmes even up until now and dated back to the 16th,
17th and 20th centuries.
The strategy, he stressed, would target three groups namely
care givers grant scheme for orphan/vulnerable children,
persons with disabilities and social grants for the
extremely poor and those aged above 65 years.
The pilot programmes run for five years, giving quality
subsistence grants for beneficiaries so that they did not
become destitute, Mr Doh added.
GNA
|
