LEAP Team Steps Up Community Engagement Ahead Of Expansion

The Department of Social Welfare and Community Development (DSW&CD) in the Asutifi North District in the Brong Ahafo Region have step up community engagement and sensitization of potential beneficiaries of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme.

The LEAP management secretariat under the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection is in the process of expanding the programme to cover an estimated additional 150,000 extremely poor beneficiaries since its inception in 2008.

An estimated 30 communities is targeted to be added to the existing communities in the Asutifi North District.

Mr. Peter Duayah, District Director of the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development at the engagements in the communities highlighted the criteria for qualification and appealed to residents to provide genuine and accurate information to the enumerators.

“Qualified beneficiaries should be orphans 18 years and below, persons with disability who cannot engage in any productive activity and with no support and the aged 65 years and above without support”, he emphasized.

He warned the law will take its course should any individual or group of persons violate any of the guiding laws and regulations of the programme.

He made a passionate appeal to caregivers under programme to ensure that funds for beneficiaries were used for its intended purpose to ensure the intent of the programme to reduce poverty was realized.

Mr. Peter appealed to community members to collaborate effectively with enumerators to make the exercise a success.

Community members on their part, welcomed the expansion and hoped it will go a long way to assist the vulnerable in the society and reduce their burden.

He was accompanied on the tour by the Deputy DSW&CD, Mrs. Emefa Abra Annor-Amevor, Deputy Planner, Mrs. Agnes Piayin Bananzi and the District Information Officer.