MONROVIA – The Catholic Educational Secretariat (CES) has commenced the distribution of a huge consignment of rice and oil to teachers and workers in its school system.
The CES’ rice and oil distribution exercise which commenced recently is intended to identify with teachers and workers, vast majority of whom, have not received their share of the government’s stimulus package.
Speaking in an interview with reporters at the St. Mary Catholic School on the Bushrod Island, the Comptroller of the CES, Jerry Jallah, disclosed that the initiative will benefit members from Catholic schools under the dioceses at Cape Palmas, Gbarnga and the Archdiocese of Monrovia.
According to him, the project was massively funded by the German Embassy near Monrovia.
“This is a project entitled ‘Bridging an Emergency Situation of Families/Personnel of Catholic Schools in Liberia Through Food Assistance’. 90% of the funding came from the German Embassy and 10% came from the Catholic Relief Service (CRS) in Liberia. We are giving each teacher two bags of the 25kg rice and a tin of the three gallons oil”.
Jallah disclosed that a little over 4000 bags of rice will be distributed to the beneficiaries.
He put the cost of the initiative at a little over US$99, 000.
Jallah, however, denied speculations that the latest move by the Catholic Church in Liberia is intended to discourage employees and workers of the Catholic School System against staging peaceful protest for the payment of their just benefits.
The teachers and workers have been on the rampage, staging series of protests before the premises of the CES, calling for the payment of their arrears allegedly owed them.
“The Church as you know has always been in the business of reaching out to not just Catholics but people who find themselves in need. More to that, the Secretariat has taken on similar project during the time of Ebola. This is not being done as a result of going on strike or people being pressured”.
Jallah maintained that the Catholic Church in Liberia “normally reach out to our people during time of disaster or when things are even normal”.
He stated that though most of the teachers and workers have not received government’s stimulus package, “the government is government and the church is the church”.
He noted that the Secretariat cannot sit supinely and witness its teachers and others going through tough times.
Meanwhile, the beneficiaries have commended the Catholic Educational Secretariat for the gesture.