14 communities in Ho Municipality to benefit from LEAP

Needy persons in fourteen more communities in the Ho Municipal Area would receive social support stipends from government, under the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme, before the end of the year.

Mr Atsu Havor, Ho Municipal Director of the Programme, said this at a ceremony in Ho at which 100 already enrolled beneficiaries in the Leprosarium community were given six months backlog of payments.

He warned prospective recipients to use their stipends strictly for the intended purposes and not for unprofitable activities.

The cash transfers, which are targeting orphans and other vulnerable children and the aged, are given to beneficiary households, whose leaders must ensure that the moneys go to increase recipients’ access to education, health care and other human services.

Mr Havor said surveys indicated that the payments had helped put many children in school and had enabled some households to engage in small scale income generating ventures.

Mr Peter Hlovor, Assistant Director of Social Welfare at the Volta Regional office of the Department of Social Welfare, said 2,500 households were currently benefiting from the scheme in 10 districts in the Region.

The Districts were Ho, Keta, Ketu-South, Krachi East, Krachi-West, Nkwanta-North, Nkwanta-South, Jasikan, South-Tongu and North-Tongu.

He said the arrears were from November 2010 to date and that District Social Welfare Officers were mobilizing beneficiaries in all the targeted communities for the total success of payments, being done through Ghana Post.

Mr Korsi Akplakoe, 70, a beneficiary, told the Ghana News Agency after receiving his money that the programme was laudable but said payment must be regular to enable recipients plan well.

Source: GNA