By Olimatou Coker
The Gambia Red Cross Society (GRCS) has recently begun another cash transfer disbursement targeting five hundred and ninety-four households to cover their basic needs.
The cash transfer is funded by the government of Canada with the Gambia Red Cross Society disbursing four million seven hundred and fifty-two thousand dalasi.
Beneficiary households in Kanifing Municipality, West Coast Region, Lower River Region, Central River Region and Upper River Region Souths will each receive eight thousand dalasi in two months (four thousand dalasi each month).
Abdoulie Fye, Director of Programs and Operations at the Gambia Red Cross Society (GRCS) explained that they are implementing the project in collaboration with Catholic Relief Service (CRS) who will cover the northern part of The Gambia. He highlighted that Covid-19 has negatively impacted on the lives of every household in the country as well as businesses and other income activities.
He noted that to mitigate the impact of covid-19 they decided to provide cash for food and nutrition to the said households.
He further said that lack of support can cause a lot of risks and threats on the lives of people. Africell Afri Money is contracted by the Gambia Red Cross Society to carry out the cash transfer, he also said.
It could be recalled that in December, The Gambia Red Cross Society (GRCS) launched an unconditional cash transfer of about 6.4 million dalasi distributed to two thousand two hundred and thirty-one vulnerable families across the country.
The funding from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) was transferred to households in partnership with Africell Afri Money.
Each identified beneficiary across the country received D3,200.
The package targeted families that have their businesses affected by the state of emergency restriction measures; persons depending on daily labor as the only source of livelihood; women headed households with limited income; refugees, migrants, asylum seekers, and stateless persons; differently abled household heads, that depend on daily charities from other people; household heads with chronic illnesses; households affected by floods and windstorms during the covid-19 period; households affected by fire outbreaks during the covid-19 period; and household heads living with HIV/AIDS.
Earlier in August 2020, The Gambia Red Cross Society (GRCS) in collaboration with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) launched another project aimed at mitigating the impact of covid-19 for most vulnerable households in selected regions of The Gambia.
The project was through Social mobilization, community engagement and the provision of food and nutrition support through Cash Transfer.
Women-headed households, widows, pregnant and lactating mothers, people living with non-communicable diseases, household heads living with disabilities, household heads living with HIV and AIDS, vulnerable migrants and youth household heads benefited from the cash transfer.
The objective of the project, funded by the Canadian Fund for Local Initiative was to improve awareness on Covid-19 risks with focus on the most vulnerable, as well as improve the nutritional status of vulnerable households, especially women, and children in North Bank, northern parts of Upper River and Central River regions of The Gambia.
