Monrovia – Aurelius Butter, the National Coordinator for the Liberia Social Safety Nets Project at the Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection says he is optimistic that the Social Cash Transfer Program will benefit families who have been hit seriously by the impact of COVID-19.
Butter during community outreach in Jallah Town Wednesday told journalists that in response to the economic impact of COVID-19, the government found it befitting to provide some level of assistance to people in the slum communities.
The National Coordinator for the Liberia Social Safety Nets Project said communities were selected on “multi demission poverty” -places of high Rick of flooding, low income or low infrastructures, or low access to public facilities.
“We are trying to work with 10 communities across Monrovia. In those communities, we do a universal approach. Which means we cover all legitimate households in those communities,” he said.
The Social Cash Transfer Program is being sponsored by UKaid. The maximum amount a household is expected to receive is USD$90.
The National Coordinator for the Liberia Social Safety Nets Project said the original estimate for the project was USD$3.5 million.
“As of today, we have only spent USD$2.5 million,” Butter said.
He added: “The people are the economy. The ability to send your kids to school, to put food on the table, the ability to have transportation to move around, is what they called economy. You can use a lot of big, big words to fix these things but at the end of the day, if you cannot put food on the table, that means your economy does not exist, there is no economic activity.”
“So, the purpose of this is really to stimulate economic activities that had a lot of impact on the COVID-19, that is why the government steps in to say ok, let me help you so you can still be able to do something for your family and for yourselves.
According to Butter, Montserrado County was hit badly during the heat of the COVID-19. This, he said more attention has been placed on Montserrado County during the program.
The Social Cash Transfer Program he added is currently operating in Maryland and Grand Kru and Bomi Counties with a plan to move onto River Gee County.
According to him, there is no string attached to getting the money. Once you are living in an enlisted community and can be identified as a household, you will be enrolled and you will be given the money based on numbers of individuals in the family, Butter said.
Also, “Give Directly” is an International Non-governmental Organization that is responsible to deliver the cash transfer. The organization has been operating in Liberia since 2018 and it is presently operating in eight countries in Africa.
Speaking, the Country Director Sibongani Kayola says: “I am confident that the poor know best how to improve their lives. And so, it is good that we provide an unconditional of cash price to provide dignity to household to enable them to uplift them out of poverty.”
One beneficiary Ma Watta Brown speaking said during the start of the COVID-19, she was not able to find any means to hustle because government’s stay home orders.
Ma Watta: “Because of this money, I was able to make a small market at home and it helped me and my children greatly.”
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