By Awa Sowe
The National Nutrition Agency (NaNA) and partners commenced a roll-out cash transfer for extremely poor households in the Districts of Niamina Dankunku, Niamina East, Niamina West and Lower Fulladou West.
The Nafa project seeks to build resilient of the extreme poor in term of food security among others.
The project provides cash to beneficiaries as well as build their capacity through Social and Behavioral Change Communication (SBCC). The project is being implemented in targeted districts across the country.
Several pay points across those districts interfaced with direct beneficiaries in a well organized and coordinated manner in making payments. Each beneficiary after verification, is paid D3000 for the first instant for a period of two month and will subsequently be receiving a sum of D3000 every two months for a duration of eighteen months.
Nafa is one of the Social Assistant Activities initiated by the Government of The Gambia and supported by the World Bank.This financing from the World Bank, is described as a great gesture to The Gambia and a land mark in the history of Social Safety Net program in the country as it is the biggest cash transfer ever witnessed in The Gambia.
Speaking at one of the Pay point, Director of communication (NaNA) Mr Abdou Aziz Ceesay, highlighted the significance of the project. He further explained that the initiative ensures coordination of social assistance activities, provide temporary social assistance support to rural households in the wake of COVID-19, and increase inclusion of the extreme poor in the Nafa Program.
“We want to build household resilience and make so that the nutritional status of children in households are improved. This could not have happened without the SBCC which help in building the capacity of the beneficiary households by engaging them in entrepreneurship and financial literacy.
The SBCC, he went on, “also helps in boosting human and productive capital and overall built the resilient of the extremely poor’’.
“This project is eighteen months and we don’t want the beneficiaries to remain in the same status after the project,’’ he noted.
The Communications Director further explained that the selection was done base on the data from The Gambia Social Registry (Gam SR) and previous surveys like the integrated households survey that were conducted by Gambia Bureau of Statistics (GBOS).
Director Ceesay also said the cash transfer is timely for the poor and will meet the basic needs of beneficiaries in term of taking care of the needs of their families. He added that SSNP is a step in the right direction to help poor households especially the first cash transfer that falls in the lean period, July to September.
He thanked the government for initiating the program and the World Bank for supporting the biggest Social Safety Net project in the country with duration of 18 months cash transfer and SBCC activities.
Samba Ceesay, a beneficiary in Niamina Samba Njuga Kunda thanked The Gambia government and World Bank for the initiative. He described the project as a social uplift for extreme poor families, adding that it will greatly improve the wellbeing of his family. He also highlighted that he will make sure part of the money is invested in agriculture which will serve as a source of income after the project phased out.
Jama Ceesay, a beneficiary in Jemal kerr Katim said she and her Co wife planned to engage in soap business which they believe would be profitable and also good for the community.