Some143 households in Tema metropolis benefit from LEAP

Some 143 households in eight communities in the Tema Metropolis have benefited from the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) since its inception in 2008.

The beneficiaries were drawn from Kpone-Bawaleshie, Zeenu, Nanoman, Ashaiman, Tema Community One, Tema Manhean, Kpone and Apollonia.

Mr George De-graft Assan, Tema Metropolitan Social Welfare Officer, told the GNA in an interview on Monday that 73 additional households have been processed to benefit from the programme.

Mr Assan said the Tema Metropolitan Social Welfare Department would expand the programme to cover over 300 households including those residing at the Sakumono and Seduase villages.

He said a household catering for one vulnerable person receives eight Ghana cedis monthly while those with two persons also receive GH¢10 per month.

While households with three persons receive GH¢12, those catering for four and five persons also take GH¢15 monthly.

The department recorded a drop in the number of cases involving maintenance of children in 2008 as it handled 271 cases compared to the 433 recorded in 2007.

Out of the 2008 total, 190 were handled successfully, 25 withdrawn, 36 were sent to the family tribunal while 20 were yet to be settled.

Mr Assan said out of 232 family reconciliation cases his outfit received last year, 156 were satisfactorily settled due to the cooperation of the couples involved and that while 37 were unsatisfactory, 12 were withdrawn with 27 still pending.

The department received 43 cases involving custody of children in 2008 as against 67 in 2007, 33 out of last year's cases have been handled and closed while 10 was yet to be settled.

Paternity cases also recorded a decrease as the department received 19 complaints in 2008 and 50 in 2007.

GNA