𝐁𝐲 𝐒𝐲𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐚.
National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA), which has over the years been providing financial support to extreme poor households across the country, will today 10th July, 2024, continue a quarterly cash transfers targeting fifteen thousand extreme poor households in five districts.
Component one of the Social Safety Net (SSN) cash transfer and provision of economic inclusion support will support 15,000 extreme-poor households with regular cash transfers for three years. The project, which is funded by the World Bank, is expected to benefit four hundred communities in Falaba, Karene, Pujehun, Kenema and Western Rural districts respectively.
Speaking to journalists at NaCSA House in Freetown, Idris Turay, Senior Director of Social Protection said, their teams are ready to go to the field starting 10th July – 4th August, 2024. He said, NaCSA being a community development oriented institution would be providing direct cash transfers to the extreme poor as well as providing grants to boost businesses.
“Our flagship project under the Social Safety Net (SSN) is to provide support to extreme poor people so that they can be able to access their basic needs…56% of the country’s population are still poor…The 13% that are extremely poor are the once that we go all out to help so as for them to live at least above poverty line, Idris noted. He added that, the project objective is to improve access to Social Safety Net (SSN) and income-generating opportunities from targeted beneficiaries.
Commissioner of the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA), Ambassador Chief Ernest Mbaimaba Ndomahina, in his address said, the exercise his institution is embarking on today is a continuation of what they have been doing over the years under Economic Inclusion (EI), Social Security Net (SSN), and payment of the aged among others. “It is very clear that our initiatives are in line with the government’s Big Five Game Changers”, he said.
The Project Components are as follows: SSN Cash Transfers and Provision of Economic Inclusion Support. Sub-component 1A: Continuation of SSN Cash Transfers to Extreme Poor Households.
The objective of this sub-component is to provide quarterly cash transfers to extreme poor households across all 16 districts of Sierra Leone and serves as a continuation of the cash transfers provided under the Social Safety Net Project. It continues to give priority to extreme poor households with Persons with disabilities in the beneficiary selection process and aim to enrol at least 30 percent of extreme poor households.
Sub-component 1B: Provision of Economic Inclusion Support
This sub-component provides an integrated Economic Inclusion package to extreme poor households. This package comprises (i) a start-up capital grant, (ii) training and mentoring, (iii) support for behavior change, and (iv) linkages to existing government and non-government program in agriculture
