From: The Informer (Monrovia) dated 5 February 2010

The Government of Liberia with support from its partners the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the European Commission and the Government of Japan yesterday launched the first cash transfer pilot scheme in Liberia.

The program which took place in Klay, Bomi County was intended to help reduce poverty, hunger and starvation in extremely poor and labor constrained households living in the pilot area and for children to realize their basic rights to education and nutrition.The Government of Liberia in an effort to implement the program will also help in providing regular money payments to the most vulnerable families without any adult who can work. Beneficiaries are families who cannot fend for themselves for reasons beyond their control. Typically these households consist of people too old to work or too young, disabled, chronically sick and child headed households.

The Minister of Planning and Economic Affairs, Hon. Amara Konneh said the cash will increase their economic power and allow them to spend on the priorities that they will identify and provide better care and protection for their children.

“Today is the beginning of another historic development event in Liberia and a breaking opportunity to reducing poverty, hunger and starvation in all households which are ultra poor and labor constrained,” said Minister Amara Konneh of the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs, during his key note address at the launch of the pilot social cash transfer scheme in Bomi county.

Minister Konneh used the occasion to call on the donor community to continue their support in the area of social protection of vulnerable groups in Liberia. “With your help, we can break the poverty cycle, and give hope for a brighter future to the children and families from very poor and vulnerable households,” Minister Konneh stressed.

Madam Isabel Crowley, UNICEF Representative in Liberia making comment during the program disclosed that the families targeted are usually left out from traditional poverty reduction programmes and are slow to respond to other programmes like credit or savings, public works and food security.

“By providing them with regular money, we want to fill the gap in the poverty reduction and ensure that their children can grow healthy and educated,” Madam Crowley said.
In certain cases, extreme lack of income can force families to resort to harmful coping mechanisms such as prostitution, child labor or criminality. While there is a multitude of social protection needs in Liberia, the most common need is a reliable minimum income. Each qualified family will receive between 10 to 25 dollars per month depending on the household size. Those who send their children to primary and secondary school will receive a bonus of 2 and 4 dollars per child respectively.

The initial pilot scheme will be implemented for a period of two years in Bomi County.

News | 14th February 2010 @ 5:09 pm