The Department of Social Welfare in the Keta Municipality of the Volta Region, has set an ambitious target to enroll 1,500 new beneficiaries into the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme.
The initiative was aimed at expanding the programme’s reach and providing financial support to more vulnerable households in the municipality.
Mr Nii Ashie Kotey, the Unit Head at the Department of Social Welfare at Keta, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said there were currently 633 households across 35 communities including Abor, Anyako, and Tsiame.
“The programme provides cash transfers to extremely poor households with vulnerable members, such as the elderly, persons with disabilities, orphaned and vulnerable children among others,” he said.
He explained that the department had planned to work beyond its limit to register and increase the number of beneficiaries, to reduce poverty and improve the livelihoods of the most vulnerable populations in the municipality.
Mr Kotey said to ensure a successful programme, the Department of Social Welfare had engaged with communities in the municipality to raise awareness about the LEAP and its benefits; while targeting 1,500 new beneficiaries, to make a significant impact on the lives of many individuals and families.
“We are starting the engagement to help identify potential beneficiaries and inform them about the application process to enable all qualified person to be enroll on the database,” he said
Mr Kotey also said that the LEAP programme had specific eligibility criteria, which included extreme poverty and the presence of vulnerable members in a household and emphasised the importance of meeting these criteria, to ensure that the programme reached those who needed it the most.
“The application process for the LEAP programme involves a thorough assessment of households to determine their eligibility. The Department of Social Welfare is working closely with community leaders and assembly members to identify potential beneficiaries and facilitate the application process,” he said.
He gave a brief highlight on the significant impact of the Programme on the lives of beneficiaries in these communities, saying, the cash transfers had helped households in meeting their basic needs to improve their livelihoods and to invest in their future.
He said communities in the Keta Municipality were responding positively to the LEAP programme and express gratitude to individual beneficiaries for their support, which had helped in building trust and ensured the programme’s success.
Despite the success, the Department of Social Welfare faced challenges including ensuring that beneficiaries met the eligibility criteria and managing the programme’s resources effectively in implementing the LEAP programme, Mr Kotey said.
Some individuals who spoke with GNA expressed their satisfaction about the activities carried out so far by the Department of Social Welfare, which they said demonstrated its commitment to support vulnerable populations in the Keta Municipality.